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University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

Purchased  with  contributions 

received  through 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA, 
BERKELEY  FOUNDATION 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE 


WUJT1?   RTVJ7R    MAQ-QAPD1? 

WJ     Ei  IUYMI  MAooAbnii 


AND  THE  PRIVATIONS  AND  HARDSHIPS  OF  THE 


CAPTIVE  WHITE   WOMEN 


AMONG  THE 


HOSTILES  ON  GRAND  RIVER, 


ILLUSTRATED. 


Written  and  compiled  by  THOMAS  F.  DAWSON  and  F.  J.  V.  SKIFF, 
of  the  DENVER  TRIBUNE. 


1879. 

Printed   by  the    Tribune   Publishing   House, 
Herman   Beckurts,    Proprietor,      J 
Denver,  Colorado. 


INTRODUCTION. 

IN  giving  this  little  book  to  the  public,  no  effort  is  made  at  literary 
excellence.  The  one  aim  of  the  book  is  to  furnish  in  connected  and 
comprehensive  shape  an  account  of  the  recent  uprising  of  the  Utes, 
and  the  origin  and  attending  circumstances  of  the  entire  trouble  from 
the  time  of  Johnson's  attack  upon  Agent  Meeker,  including  the  Thorn- 
burgh  fight  at  Milk  River,  the  agency  massacre,  the  captivity  of  the 
women,  and  other  incidents  of  interest.  The  authors  feel  competent  to 
assume  this  task.  They  have,  as  editors  of  the  Tribtine,  written  a 
complete  history  of  the  affair  from  day  to  day,  and  need  simply  to  put 
in  book  form  what  they  have  heretofore  published.  We  have  culled 
largely  from  the  Denver  Tribune  and  other  papers,  including  the  New 
York  Herald  and  the  Chicago  Tribune,  in  preparing  the  book,  and 
have  added  some  information  never  before  given  to  the  world.  In 
submitting  this  work  to  the  public  we  desire  simply  to  say  that  it  is 
reliable.  No  facts  have  been  either  suppressed  or  exaggerated  for 
sensational  effect. 


JOSIE  MEEKER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  THORNBURGH  MASSACRE THE   NEWS   IN  DENVER 

GENERAL  EXCITEMENT  AND  INFLAMATORY  RUMORS 

.    — GOVERNOR  PITKIN'S  ACTION. 

It  was  about  noon  on  the  1st  day  of  October  of 
the  present  year,  that  the  first  news  of  the  Milk  River 
fight  between  the  United  States  troops  under  Major 
T.  T.  Thornburgh  and  the  Ute  Indians,  reached  Den 
ver  and  the  remaining  portions  of  the  outside  world. 
For,  although  the  battle  had  occurred  two  days  previ 
ous  to  this  time,  the  long  distance  between  the  scene 
of  the  conflict  and  a  telegraph  station,  and  the  rough 
mountain  trail  lined,  it  was  supposed,  with  Indians, 
had  prevented  any  earlier  communication  of  the  news. 
The  first  information  of  the  disaster  came  in  the 
shape  of  a  telegraphic  dispatch,  dated  at  Laramie  City, 
Wyoming,  and  was  sent  by  Col.  Stephen  W.  Downey, 
delegate  to  Congress  from  Wyoming,  to  Governor 
Pitkin.  It  was  as  follows: 

"LARAMIE  CITY,  October  i,  1879. 
"  To  Governor  Pitkin,  Denver : 

"The  White  River  Utes  have  met  Colonel  Thorn- 
burgh's  command,  sent  to  quell  disturbances  at  the 
agency,  killing  Thornburgh  himself,  and  killing  and 
wounding  many  of  his  officers,  men  and  horses, 
whereby  the  safety  of  the  whole  command  is  imper 
iled.  I  shall  warn  our  people  in  the  North  Park,  and 
trust  that  you  will  take  such  prompt  action  as  will 
protect  your  people  and  result  in  giving  the  War 
Department  control  of  the  savages,  in  order  to  protect 
the  settlers  from  massacres,  provoked  by  the  present 


6  THE    UTE   WAR. 

temporizing  policy  of  the  government  with  reference 
to  Indian  affairs,  in  all  time  to  come. 

"  STEPHEN  W.  DOWNEY." 

Numerous  dispatches  followed  the  one  given  above, 
and  the  news  spread  from  lip  to  ear,  until  by  two 
o'clock  the  entire  population  of  the  city  was  excited 
to  an  unusual  pitch.  The  reports  were  mainly  vague 
and  unsatisfactory,  and  imagination  assisted  greatly  to 
swell  the  volume  of  horror  and  the  prospect  of  war 
and  murder  on  our  own  frontier.  To  relate  half  the 
stories  that  fan^j^,  wove  into  shape  and  fluent  lips 
spoke  into  open  ears  in  that  one  afternoon  would  be  to 
fill  this  volume,  and  to  impart  to  it  the  character  of 
romance  which  it  is  not  intended  to  give  it.  For  sev 
eral  weeks  there  had  been  talk  in  the  newspapers 
about  trouble  with  the  Utes,  and  the  public  at  large 
had  been  informed  of  the  savage  treatment  received 
by  Agent  Meeker  at  White  River  at  the  hands  of  the 
Indians;  but  the  masses  had  passed  these  warnings 
by  quite  heedlessly,  and  many  had  doubtless  forgotten 
that  there  had  ever  been  any  cause  for  alarm.  During 
the  few  days  previous  the  newspapers  themselves  had 
ceased  in  a  degree  to  speak  of  affairs  on  the  reserva 
tion.  The  soldiers  under  Major  Thornburgh  having 
been  sent  out  from  Fort  Steele,  all  seemed  to  feel  a 
sense  of  security  on  behalf  of  the  people  at  the 
agency.  It  was  tacitly  agreed  that  the  sending  in  of 
the  troops  had  put  an  end  to  demonstrations  on  the 
part  of  the  Indians. 

This  was  the  quiet  before  the  storm — the  calm, 
clear  morning  before  the  dark  and  storming  afternoon. 
The  surprise  was  complete.  Had  the  troops  marched 
into  the  ambush  laid  for  them  at  Milk  River  and 
been  suddenly  fired  upon  before  seeing  an  Indian,  their 
astonishment  could  have  been  but  a  degree  greater 
than  that  felt  by  the  people  of  Colorado  and  Wyoming 


THE    UTE   WAR.  7 

on  receiving  the  news.  To  use  a  favorite  and  expres 
sive  phrase  of  the  reportorial  brotherhood,  it  fell  like 
a  bolt  of  lightening  from  a  clear  sky. 

Many  days  passed  before  any  definite  information 
could  be  obtained,  and  during  that  interim  the  wires 
were  fairly  humming  with  anxious  inquiries  for  friends 
in  Colorado  from  all  parts  of  the  globe,  from  news 
papers  and  from  the  government  authorities,  and  the 
responses  to  all,  many  of  which  embodied  the  start 
ling  rumors  which  were  floating  in  the  atmosphere 
and  passing  from  one  person  to  ano%ber,  in  lieu  of 
something  more  authoritative  to  send. 

The  uncertainty  in  regard  to  the  whereabouts  of  the 
Indians  and  the  certainty  in  regard  to  their  commit 
ting  depredations  wherever  an  opportunity  might  offer, 
were  causes  for  the  most  serious  apprehension  in  be 
half  of  the  prospectors,  miners  and  stock  raisers  along 
the  line  of  the  reservation.  Governor  Pitkin  took 
immediate  steps  to  inform  the  frontiersmen  of  the 
danger  to  which  they  were  subjected.  He  sent  or 
caused  to  be  sent  couriers  to  North  Park,  Middle  Park, 
Bear  River,  Snake  River,  Grand  River,  Eagle  River, 
Gunnison  River  and  its  tributaries,  Coal  Creek,  Ohio 
Creek,  Anthracite  Creek,  Taylor  River,  etc. ;  Lake 
City,  Silverton,  Ouray,  Rico,  Animas  City,  and  other 
points  which  it  was  believed  would  be  in  danger  in 
case  the  Indians  should  scatter  or  determine  to  attack 
the  settlements.  Militia  companies  were  organized 
and  drilled,  and  arms  and  ammunition  distributed  by 
the  State  as  fast  as  they  could  be  obtained  from  the 
government.  In  less  time  than  a  week  the  entire  State 
was  in  arms,  and  was  well  ready  to  fight  the  Indians 
before  further  news  was  received  from  Milk  River. 


CHAPTER  II. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  TROUBLE  WITH  THE  UTES — EARLY  REC 
OMMENDATION  FOR  A  MILITARY  POST  ON  WHITE  RIVER 
MR.  MEEKER  APPOINTED  AGENT REFORMS  INTRO 
DUCED  BY  HIM AGTICULTURE  AND  EDUCATION 

TROUBLE     DURING    THE    SUMMER JOHNSON'S    ATTACK 

ON  THE  AGENT — MR.  MEEKER'S  STORY — COL.  STEELED 
INTERVIEW  WITH  MR.  MEEKER  JUST  BEFORE  HIS  DEATH 
TROOPS  TO  THE  FRONT. 

While  we  are  anxiously  awaiting  this  intelligence, 
it  will  certainly  not  be  out  of  place  to  revert  briefly 
to  the  circumstances  which  immediately  preceded  and 
led  up  to  the  Thornburgh  affair. 

The  origin  of  the  difficulties  with  the  Utes  seems 
to  have  lain  partially  in  the  fact  that  this  tribe,  like 
the  Cheyennes,  could  not  content  themselves  upon 
their  reservation.  The  country  north  of  the  Colorado 
Reservation  is  very  desirable  for  farming  and  grazing 
purposes,  and  is  thickly  settled.  For  three  or  four 
years  past  the  Indians  have  been  in  the  habit  of  in 
truding  into  this  district,  as  well  as  into  North  and 
Middle  Parks,  which  practice  has  caused  considerable 
annoyance  to  settlers,  particularly  on  Snake,  Bear  and 
Grand  Rivers.  There  are  many  lawless  persons  in  the 
vicinity,  it  is  said,  who  for  years  have  carried  on  a 
brisk  trade  with  the  Indians,  supplying  them  with 
whisky  and  ammunition,  causing  constant  complaints 
to  the  Indian  Office.  Depredations  have  also  been 
committed  by  the  Indians  along  the  valleys  of  the 
rivers  referred  to.  In  the  fall  of  1 877  Agent  Danforth 
visited  that  country,  together  with  Lieutenant  Parke, 


THE    UTE    WAR.  9 

of  the  Ninth  Cavalry,  United  States  Army,  with  a 
view  to  the  adoption  of  measures  to  protect  the  set 
tlers  and  break  up  this  unlawful  traffic.  They  re 
ported  in  September,  1877,  that  it  would  be  necessary 
to  establish  a  military  post  there,  that  this  would  keep 
the  Indians  on  their  reservation,  serve  to  protect  the 
settlers  and  break  up  the  unlawful  trade  referred  to. 
The  recommendation  was  never  complied  with. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Hon.  N.  C.  Meeker  was 
appointed  by  President  Hayes  agent  at  White  River. 
He  found  affairs  in  a  deplorable  state.  Many  of  the 
Indians  had  left  the  reservation,  and  had  gone  as  far 
north  as  Sweetwater  Creek  in  Wyoming,  Chief  Doug 
lass  being  among  those  who  had  wandered  from  the 
flock.  Great  dissatisfaction  existed  because  of  ill  treat 
ment  by  former  agents,  and  there  was  no  little  talk  of 
war.  But  Agent  Meeker  soon  succeeded  in  restoring 
quiet  among  the  discontented,  and  soon  again  all 
went  well. 

Very  soon  after  establishing  himself  at  the  agency 
Mr.  Meeker  commenced  to  introduce  some  reforms 
into  the  system  of  conducting  Indian  Agencies,  in 
which  efforts  he  had  the  co-ot>eration  of  the  govern 
ment.  It  was  a  pet  theory  with  him  that  he  could 
make  the  agency  self-supporting  by  stock  raising 
and  agriculture,  and  that,  by  an  effort  in  the  proper 
direction,  the  Indians  could  be  educated.  He  did  not 
believe  in  wasting  time  on  the  old  Indians  of  fixed 
customs,  but  thought  that  the  young  might  be  in 
duced  to  attend  school  and  grow  up  educated  in  the 
English  language  and  trained  in  the  manners  of  civil 
ized  society.  For  the  accomplishment  of  the  latter 
purpose  he  took  his  daughter,  Miss  Josephine  Meeker, 
the  herbine  of  this  narrative,  with  him  to  the  agency, 
and  she  established  a  school  for  the  benefit  of  the  In 
dian  juveniles.  The  agency  was  removed  during  Mr. 


IO  THE    UTE    WAR. 

Meeker's  administration  twenty  miles  from  White 
River,  from  the  old  site,  to  Powell's  Bottom,  one  of 
the  best  favored  and  most  beautiful  tracts  of  land  on 
the  continent.  Here  he  began  his  agricultural  demon 
strations,  which  were  the  direct  cause — at  least  the 
principal  one  assigned  by  the  Indians — for  their  out 
break  and  murder  of  the  Agent. 

The  Indian  trouble  was  really  brewing  all  summer. 
In  June  the  Utes  began  burning  the  forests  and 
grasses  along  the  line  of  their  reservation,  a  distance 
of  over  three  hundred  miles.  Roving  bands  wand 
ered  up  and  down  the  entire  country,  leaving  a  trail  of 
fire  wherever  they  went.  Fires  were  started  in  unin 
habited  districts  at  first,  but  in  August  the  houses  of 
Major  Thompson  and  a  Mr.  Smart  on  Bear  River, 
Routt  county,  were  burned  by  Indians  who  were  seen 
and  recognized.  Complaints  for  arson  were  sworn 
out  before  Judge  Beck,  First  Judicial  District,  who 
issued  warrants  for  the  arrest  of  two  Indians  named 
Bennett  and  Chinaman.  Sheriff  Bessey  and  a  posse 
followed  the  Indians  into  the  reservation  to  execute 
the  warrants,  but  they  were  unable  to  find  the  crim 
inals.  Chief  Douglass  denied  the  right  to  arrest  In 
dians  on  a  reservation.  This  fact  was  officially  re 
ported  to  Governor  Pitkin  by  Judge  Beck,  and*  he 
applied  to  General  Pope  for  troops  to  execute  the 
warrants,  on  the  ground  that  no  Indian  guilty  of  arson 
could  escape  punishment  for  crimes  by  taking  refuge 
on  the  reservation.  General  Pope  at  once  ordered  a 
company  of  cavalry,  then  scouting  in  Middle  Park,  to 
the  agency  to  arrest  the  Indians  or  assist  the  sheriff. 

Meanwhile  Father  Meeker,  the  White  River  Agent, 
had  difficulty  with  certain  members  of  the  tribe  and 
had  been  rudely  handled  by  Johnson,  a  leading  chief. 
A  plowman  was  also  shot  at  and  exciting  scenes 
ensued. 


THE    UTE    WAR.  IT 

As  these  were  the  events  which  led  to  the  following 
more  serious  incidents,  we  re-produce  entire  Mr. 
Meeker's  own  explanation  of  the  difficulty,  which 
was  that  which  follows  : 

"  Having  finished  the  plowing  of  one  field  we 
started  on  another.  This  field  was  one  of  about 
200  acres,  not  yet  fenced,  but  only  half  was  to  be 
plowed,  the  remainder  was  to  be  irrigated  for  a  hay 
meadow.  Since  so  many  Indian  horses  eat  up  the  nat 
ural  hay,  we  have  to  go  from  four  to  seven  miles  to 
cut  hay,  and  even  there  the  horses  leave  only  a  part. 
A  chief  object  in  moving  the  agency  was  to  obtain 
tillable  land,  and  this  particular  tract  of  200  acres  was 
an  inducement.  But  after  we  had  irrigated  a  bed  100 
feet  wide  and  half  a  mile  long  several  Indians  objected 
and  Jane  in  particular.  Her  man  Parviets  had  built 
a  corral  on  the  ground,  though  he  was  told  previously 
that  the  land  would  be  plowed;  and  Antelope  was 
another.  Both  of  these  had  been  off  in  Middle  Park, 
cutting  up  generally,  and  they  had  to  be  sent  for  and 
brought  back,  and  when  they  came  fire  followed  them 
all  the  way  back  to  Bear  River. 

"  The  claim  that  Jane  and  Antelope  made  was  that 
this  is  the  Utes'  country;  that  they  had  fixed  them 
selves  and  did  not  want  to  move,  for  the  grass  was 
good  and  they  wanted  it  all  the  while  for  their  horses. 
Being  close  to  the  agency,  for  the  buildings  are  on 
the  lot,  it  was  handy  and  they  wanted  it.  Besides,  they 
said  the  Utes  did  not  want  any  more  land  plowed, 
there  was  enough  now,  and  they  wanted  to  live  just 
as  they  had  lived.  Jane  was  told  that  there  were 
plenty  of  places  just  as  good;  that  the  employes 
would  move  everything  without  any  trouble  to  her, 
and  make  things  enough  sight  better;  and  she 
was  told,  too,  that  if  the  buildings  were  moved  she 
would  be  sure  to  follow  and  claim  land  close  by,  and 


12  THE    UTE    WAR. 

so  the  Agent  could  have  no  chance  to  plow  at  all. 
She  said  he  might  plow  off  in  another  place,  and  she 
indicated,  as  Douglass  and  others  did  afterward,  that 
a  certain  tract,  covered  with  grease  wood,  cut  up  with 
sloughs,  and  white  with  alkali,  was  good  to  plow, 
though  it  would  take  three  months  to  clear  the  sur 
face. 

"  No,  she  would  listen  to  nothing;  that  piece  of  land 
was  to  be  theirs,  and  they  wouldn't  have  it  plowed, 
for  they  had  taken  it,  which  was  something  like  the 
case  when  Greeley  was  first  settled,  when  men  wanted 
to  locate  their  share  on  160  acres  next  to  the  town 
centre.  Therefore  the  plows  were  ordered  to  run,  but 
before  a  single  round  had  been  plowed,  there  came 
two  Indians  with  guns  and  forbid  the  plowing.  When 
the  plowman  came  back  he  reported  to  the  Agent,  who 
told  him  to  go  ahead.  And  so  the  sulky-breaker 
went  ahead,  and  for  an  hour  or  so  peace  seemed  re 
stored;  but  after  awhile  the  plowman  reported  that  he 
was  shot  at  from  a  little  bunch  of  sage  brush,  where 
two  Indians  were  seen  lying,  and  the  ball  whistled 
close  to  his  person.  Of  course  plowing  was  ordered 
stopped  and  the  team  turned  out.  Then  Douglass 
was  sent  for,  but  he  would  do  nothing.  This  was  the 
Utes'  country,  and  they  wanted  it  for  their  horses. 

"  Then  Jack,  the  chieftain,  a  rival  to  Douglass,  was 
sent  for,  ten  miles  up  the  river.  Jack  has  a  big  body 
of  big  Indians  under  him,  and  it  was  scarcely  two 
hours  before  as  many  as  twenty  of  them,  with  Jack  at 
their  head,  came  down  on  the  full  run,  for  Jack  had 
been  told  that  the  Agent  was  going  to  telegraph  to 
Washington,  but  before  he  did  so  he  wanted  to  know 
whether  all  the  Utes  united  to  stop  the  plowing,  and 
all  of  them  should  be  heard. 

"  Then  followed  a  talk  lasting  nearly  to  sundown, 
when  it  was  decided  that  the  Agent  might  plow  that 


THE   UTE   WAR.  13 

bed,  but  no  more.  The  Agent  said  that  would  not  do 
at  all.  Then  it  was  decided  that  he  might  plow  more 
and  have  it  all,  so  the  thing  seemed  settled.  However, 
it  was  not  settled. 

"The  next  day  the  plow  started,  but  it  had  not  gone 
half  around  before  out  came  Parviets  and  Antelope 
and  threatened  dire  vengeance  if  any  more  than  that 
land  was  plowed,  which,  by  the  way,  was  a*  fine  piece 
to  fence,  being  in  all  about  six  acres,  and  requiring 
more  fencing  than  a  square  of  one  hundred  acres. 
Still,  the  plow  ran  an  hour  or  so,  doing  first-rate  work. 
But  by  this  time  the  employes  began  to  think  there 
was  likely  to  be  different  kind  of  work  to  do  than  they 
came  hither  for,  and  so  the  plowman  was  ordered  to 
retreat  from  the  enemy.  About  this  time  the  remark 
was  made  to  George,  'This  is  getting  rather  interest 
ing,'  to  which  he  replied,  '  It  may  be  to  you,  but  I 
can't  see  it  for  my  part.' 

"  Then  Jack  was  sent  for  again,  and  he  came  down 
with  a  big  lot  of  retainers,  earlier  than  the  day  before, 
and  a  big  long  talk  was  had.  The  A  gent  sat  for  hours 
in  a  hot  room  filled  with  tobacco  smoke,  and  listened 
to  speeches  of  which  he  understood  nothing,  and  dur 
ing  all  the  time  he  said  nothing — silently  representing 
the  government  of  the  United  States. 

"  Among  the  speeches  was  one  by  Douglass,  which 
was  the  closing  plea,  or  summing  of  the  case,  lasting 
nearly  half  an  hour,  and  then  it  was  understood  why 
Douglass  was  made  chief — that  is,  on  account  of  his 
eloquence.  First,  he  spoke  in  poetic  Ute,  not  in  the 
ordinary  vernacular.  Second,  the  words  were  uttered 
with  perfect  distinctness,  and  yet  quite  rapidly.  Third, 
the  sentences  were  measured.  There  would  be  three 
sentences  of  about  fifteen  words  each  ;  then  a  sentence 
of  thirty  or  forty  words,  and  so  on.  The  Indians  lis 
tened  to  him  with  the  utmost  attention,  and  some 


14  THE   UTE   WAR. 

seemed  to  shed  the  sympathetic  tear,  for  frequently  in 
his  gestures  he  seemed  to  embrace  some  object,  and 
with  fervor  and  love.  It  was  afterward  learned  that 
he  spoke  of  the  unity  of  all  the  Indian  tribes,  the 
Utes,  the  Bannocks,  Arapahoes,  Cheyennes,  Pawnees, 
Apaches  and  Navajos,  and  then  of  the  fatherly  care  of 
the  government,  embracing  and  caring  for  all  as  if 
they  were  the  children  of  one  father. 

"  Soon  after  the  conclusion  of  the  speech,  Douglass 
asked  the  Agent  what  he  would  do  for  Jane  if  she 
would  move  off.  The  reply  was  that  he  would  move 
the  corral,  help  her  husband  build  a  log  house,  dig  a 
well,  give  them  a  stove,  and  have  everything  nice. 
This  was  agreed  to,  and  the  Agent  was  allowed  to  have 
the  land.  The  impression  is,  that  if  the  Indians  had 
been  free  to  choose,  they  would  have  forbidden  an 
other  furrow  to  be  turned." 

Colonel  John  W.  Steele,  an  agent  of  the  post  office 
department,  visited  White  River  Agency  immediately 
after  this  occurrence.  Colonel  Steele,  speaking  of  the 
scenes  and  incidents  of  his  visit,  which  fell  on  the 
1 2th  of  September,  says : 

"  I  soon  learned  that  the  Agent,  Mr.  Meeker,  had,  a 
short  time  before  my  affival,  been  violently  assaulted 
by  a  Ute  chief  named  Johnson,  and  severely,  if  not 
dangerously,  injured.  The  white  laborers  told  me 
that  they  had  been  fired  on  while  plowing  in  the  field 
and  driven  to  the  agency  buildings,  but  that  they  were 
not  much  scared,  as  they  thought  the  Indians  only 
wanted  to  prevent  the  work  and  fired  to  frighten 
them.  Finding  Mr.  W.  H.  Post,  the  Agent's  chief 
clerk  and  postmaster,  at  White  River  in  his  office,  I 
proceeded  to  transact  my  business  with  him.  While 
engaged  at  this  the  Indians  began  to  congregate  in 
the  building..  Mr.  Post  introduced  me  to  Chiefs  Ute 
Jack,  Washington,  Antelope  and  others.  Ute  Jack 


THE    UTE    WAR.  15 

seemed  to  be  the  leader,  and  asked  me  my  name  and 
business.  I  told  him.  He  inquired  if  I  came  from 
Fort  Steele  and  if  the  soldiers  were  coming.  I  re 
plied  that  I  knew  nothing  of  the  soldiers. 

"Jack  said:  'No  'fraid  of  soldiers.  Fort  Steele 
soldiers  no  fight.  Utes  heap  fight.' 

"  He  again  asked  me  my  name  and  when  I  was  going 
away.  I  replied  :  '  In  the  morning/ 

"Jack  said:  'Better  go  quick.' 

"  I  offered  him  a  cigar  and  repeated  that  I  would  go 
in  the  morning.  He  then  inquired  for  Mr.  Meeker, 
and  said  to  Post :  '  Utes  heap  talk  to  me.  Utes  say 
Agent  plow  no  more.  Utes  say  Meeker  must  go  'way. 
Meeker  say  Utes  work.  Work  !  work  !  Ute  no  like 
work.  Ute  no  work.  Ute  no  school ;  no  like  school/ 
and  much  more  of  the  same  sort. 

"  Jack  asked  Mr.  Post  when  the  Indian  goods  would 
be  issued.  Post  replied :  '  In  two  moons.'  Jack  said 
the  goods  were  issued  at  the  Uncompahgre  agency ; 
that  four  Indians  had  come  from  there  and  told  him. 

"  Post  replied  :     '  Guess  not.' 

"Mr.  Post  said  to  me:  '  Every  fall  there  is  more 
or  less  discontent  among  the  Indians,  which  finally 
dies  out.  This  year  there  is  more  than  usual. 
Jack's  band  got  mad  last  week  because  I  would  not 
issue  rations  to  some  Uintah  Utes  who  had  come 
here,  and  all  the  bucks  refused  to  draw  their  supplies. 
The  squaws  drew  for  themselves  and  children.' 

"  Mr.  Meeker  came  in  for  a  short  time  while  we  were 
talking.  About  8  o'clock  I  went  to  his  quarters,  and 
found  him  propped  up  in  his  arm  chair  with  pillows, 
evidently  suffering  severely  from  injuries  received 
from  the  assault  of  Chief  Johnson.  After  a  short  talk 
we  discovered  that  we  had  formerly  been  fellow 
townsmen,  which  opened  the  way  for  a  free  conversa 
tion  about  mutual  acquaintances.  After  which  Mr. 


1 6  THE   UTE   WAR. 

Meeker  said  :  '  I  came  to  this  agency  in  the  full  be 
lief  that  I  could  civilize  these  Utes ;  that  I  could  teach 
them  to  work  and  become  self-supporting.  I  thought 
that  I  could  establish  schools  and  interest  both  Indi 
ans  and  their  children  in  learning.  I  have  given  my 
best  efforts  to  this  end,  always  treating  them  kindly 
but  firmly.  They  have  eaten  at  my  table,  and  re 
ceived  continued  kindness  from  my  wife  and  daughter 
and  all  the  employes  about  the  agency.  Their  com 
plaints  have  been  heard  patiently  and  all  reasonable 
requests  have  been  granted  them,  and  now  the  man 
for  whom  I  have  done  the  most — for  whom  I  have 
built  the  only  Indian  house  on  the  reservation,  and 
who  has  frequently  eaten  at  my  table — has  turned  on 
me  without  the  slightest  provocation,  and  would  have 
killed  me  but  for  the  white  laborers  who  got  me 
away.  No  Indian  raised  his  hand  to  prevent  the  out 
rage,  and  those  who  had  received  continued  kindness 
from  myself  and  family  stood  around  and  laughed  at 
the  brutal  assault.  They  are  an  unreliable  and 
treacherous  race.' 

"Mr.  Meeker  further  said  that  previous  to  this  as 
sault  on  him  he  had  expected  to  see  the  dis 
content  die  out,  as  soon  as  the  annuity  goods 
arrived,  but  he  was  now  anxious  about  the  matter. 
In  reply  to  an  inquiry,  he  said  that  the  whole  com 
plaint  of  the  Indians  was  against  plowing  the  land, 
against  work  and  the  school.  I  told  him  I,  thought 
there  was  great  danger  of  an  outbreak,  and  I  thought 
that  he  should  leave  the  agency  at  once.  To  this  he 
made  no  reply. 

,  "Shortly  after,  Ute  Jack  came  into  the  room 
where  we  were  sitting,  and  proceeded  to  cate 
chise  me  nearly  as  before.  He  then  turned  to  Mr. 
Meeker  and  repeated  the  talk  about  work,  and  then 
asked  the  Agent  if  he  had  sent  for  soldiers.  Mr. 


THE   UTE   WAR.  17 

' 

Meeker  told  him  he  had  not.    Jack  then  said  :    'Utes 
have  heap  more  talk.' 

"  During  the  conversation  Mr.  Meeker  said  that 
Chief  Douglass  was  head  chief  at  that  agency,  but 
that  he  had  no  followers  and  little  influence.  That 
Douglass  and  his  party  had  remained  on  the  reserva 
tion  all  the  summer  and  had  been  friendly  to  the 
whites ;  that  Colorow,  Ute  Jack,  Johnson  and  their 
followers  paid  no  attention  to  his  orders  and  had  been 
off  the  reservation  most  of  the  summer ;  that  Chief 
Ouray  was  head  chief,  but  had  lost  his  influence  with 
and  control  of  the  northern  Utes. 

"I  again  urged  on  him  the  danger  of  remaining  at 
the  agency,  when  he  told  me  he  would  send  for  troops 
for  protection.  During  this  conversation  the  Indians 
had  remained  around  the  agency  buildings,  making 
much  noise.  About  ten  o'clock  I  went  to  the  quar 
ters  assigned  me  for  the  night  in  the  store-house  of 
fice.  Soon  after  this  the  Indians  began  shouting  and 
dancing  in  one  of  the  agency  buildings  and  around 
the  Agent's  quarters.  About  midnight  Mr.  Meeker 
attempted  to  quiet  them,  but  was  on}y  partially  suc 
cessful,  and  the  red  devils  made  it  exceedingly  un 
comfortable  for  me  most  of  the  night.  I  was  told  in 
the  morning  that  the  Indians  had  had  a  war  dance. 
Those  who  saw  and  could  have  described  the  scene 
are  all  dead  now.  At  daylight  the  bucks  had  all  dis 
appeared.  After  breakfast  I  called  on  Mr.  Meeker  in 
his  room  to  bid  him  good-by.  He  told  me  he  had 
written  for  troops,  and  requested  me  to  telegraph  for 
relief  as  soon  as  I  reached  Rawlins." 

It  was  immediately  after  this  occurrence  that  Mr. 
Meeker  applied  to  Governor  Pitkin  for  troops  for  pro 
tection,  and  he  made  a  request  of  General  Pope,  who 
at  once  ordered  Major  Thornburgh  on  the  mission 
in  which  he  met  his  unfortunate  death.  General  Pope 


1 8  THE    UTE    WAR. 

issued  orders,  September  igth,  for  four  companies  of 
cavalry  to  concentrate  at  White  River  Agency.  Two 
of  these  companies  were  ordered  from  Fort  Fred. 
Steele,  one  from  Fort  Saunders  and  one  from  Pagosa 
Springs.  The  latter  company  was  a  negro  command, 
and  had  been  skirting  along  the  western  boundary  of 
the  reservation.  It  was  ordered  north  two  months 
previous,  in  response  to  the  Governor's  telegram  rel 
ative  to  the  Indians  firing  the  forests. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    MARCH    OF    THORNBURGH's    COMMAND — INCIDENTS 

ON    THE     ROUTE THE     PARLEY ARRIVAL     AT      BAD 

CANON THE  AMBUSH DESCRIPTION  OF   THE    BATTLE 

GROUND — THE    ATTACK,     THE    FIGHT    AND    THE     RE 
TREAT — THORNBURGH'S  CHARGE  AND  THE  DEATH  OF 

THE  COMMANDER LIST  OF  THE  KILLED  AND  WOUNDED. 

Major  T.  T.  Thornburgh,  commanding  officer  of  the 
Fourth  United  States  Infantry,  and  for  the  past  year 
in  command  at  Fort  Fred.  Steele  on  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  in  Wyoming,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
expedition,  which  left  Rawlins  for  White  River 
Agency,  September  24.  The  command  consisted  of 
two  companies,  D  and  F  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry,  Com 
pany  E  of  the  Third  Cavalry,  and  Company  E  of  the 
Fourth  Infantry,  the  officers  included  in  the  detach 
ment  being  Captains  Payne  and  Lawson  of  the  Fifth 
Cavalry,  Lieutenant  Paddock  of  the  Third  Cavalry, 
and  Lieutenants  Price  and  Wooley  of  the  Fourth 
Infantry,  with  Dr.  Grimes  accompanying  the  com 
mand  as  surgeon.  Following  the  troops  was  a  sup 
ply  train  of  thirty-three  wagons. 

When  the  command  reached  the  place  known  as 
Old  Fortification  Camp,  Company  E  of  the  Fourth 
Infantry,  with  Lieutenant  Price  in  command,  was 
dropped  from  th£  command,  the  design  of  this  step 
being  to  afford  protection  to  passing  supply  trains, 
and  to  act  as  a  reserve  in  case  there  was  demand 
for  it. 

Major  Thornburgh  turned  his  force  towards  the 
Indian  country  in  deep  earnest,  with  the  balance  of 


2O  THE   UTE   WAR. 

his  command  consisting  of  the  three  cavalry  com 
panies  numbering  about  160  men. 

Having  been  directed  to  use  all  dispatch  in  reach 
ing  the  agency,  the  Major  marched  forward  with  as 
great  rapidity  as  possible.  The  route  selected  is  not 
well  traveled  and  is  mountainous,  and  of  course  the 
troops  did  not  proceed  so  rapidly  as  they  might  have 
done  on  more  familiar  highways. 

Nothing  was  seen  of  or  heard  from  the  Indians 
until  Bear  River,  which  runs  north  of  the  reservation 
and  almost  parallel  with  the  northern  line,  was 
reached.  At  the  crossing  -of  this  stream,  about  sixty- 
five  miles  from  White  River  Agency,  ten  Indians, 
headed  by  two  Ute  chiefs,  Colorow  and  Jack,  made 
their  appearance.  They  were  closely  questioned,  but 
professed  great  friendliness  for  the  whites  and  would 
betray  none  of  the  secrets  of  their  tribe.  They  de 
clared  that  they  were  merely  out  on  a  hunt,  and 
repeated  that  they  were  friends  of  the  white  man  and 
of  the  Great  Father's  government,  and  especially  of 
the  Great  Father's  soldiers. 

After  this  parley,  which  took  place  September  26, 
Thornburgh  sent  his  last  telegram  from  camp :  "  Have 
met  some  of  the  Ute  chiefs  here.  They  seem  friendly 
and  promise  to  go  with  me  to  the  agency.  They  say 
the  Utes  don't  understand  why  we  come  here.  I  have 
tried  to  explain  satisfactorily ;  don't  now  anticipate 
trouble."  The  conclusion  is  that  Thornburgh  was 
one  of  the  most  prudent]and  discreet  of  officers,  but 
that  he  was  thrown  off  his  guard  by  the  savages. 

The  march  was  continued  and  nothing  more  was 
seen  of  the  Indians,  though  a  close  watch  by  keen- 
eyed  scouts  was  kept  up  for  them,  until  William's 
Fork,  a  small  tributary  of  Bear  River,  was  reached, 
when  the  same  ten  Indians  first  seen  again  quite  sud 
denly  and  very  mysteriously  appeared.  They  re- 


THE    UTE   WAR.  21 

newed  their  protestations  of  friendship,  while  they 
covertly  and  critically  eyed  the  proportions  of  the 
command.  They  made  a  proposition  to  the  Com 
mander  that  he  take  an  escort  of  five  soldiers  and 
accompany  them  to  the  agency.  A  halt  was  called 
and  Major  Thornburgh  summoned  his  staff  to  a  con 
sultation.  After  carefully  discussing  the  matter  with 
a  due  regard  for  the  importance,  the  advantage  and 
disadvantage  of  the  step,  the  officers'  council  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  it  was  not  wise  to  accept  this 
proffer  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  as  it  might  lead  to 
another  Modoc  trap,  and  to  Thornburgh's  becoming 
another  Canby.  Thornburgh's  scout,  Mr.  Joseph 
Rankin,  was  especially  strong  in  opposition  to  the 
request  of  the  Indians. 

Major  Thornburgh  then  concluded  to  march  his 
column  within  hailing  distance  of  the  agency,  where 
he  would  accept  the  proposition  of  the  Indians. 

But  he  was  never  allowed  to  carry  out  his  designs. 
Here  it  became  apparent  how  thin  the  disguise  of 
friendship  had  been,  and  Thornburgh  was  soon  con 
vinced  how  fatal  would  have  been  the  attempt  for 
him,  accompanied  by  only  five  men,  to  treat  with 
them. 

The  command  had  reached  the  point  where  the 
road  crosses  Milk  River,  another  tributary  of  the 
Bear,  inside  the  reservation  and  in  the  limits  of  Sum 
mit  County,  about  twenty-five  miles  north  of  the 
agency,  when  they  were  attacked  by  the  hostiles, 
numbering,  it  is  believed,  between  two  hundred  and 
fifty  and  three  hundred  warriors,  who  had  been  lying 
in  ambush. 

The  scene  of  the  attack  was  peculiarly  fitted  for  the 
Indian  method  of  warfare.  When  Thurnburgh's  com 
mand  entered  the  ravine  or  canon  they  found  them 
selves  between  two  bluffs  1,300  yards  apart.  Those 


22  THE    UTE   WAR. 

on  the  north  were  200  feet  high,  those  on  the  south 
100  feet.  The  road  to  the  agency  ran  through  the 
ravine  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  following  the  bend 
of  the  Milk  River,  at  a  distance  of  500  yards.  Milk 
River  is  a  narrow,  shallow  stream,  which  here  flows 
in  a  southwesterly  direction  through  a  narrow  canon. 
Through  this  canon,  after  making  a  detour  to  avoid 
some  very  difficult  ground,  the  wagon  road  passes  for 
three  or  four  miles.  Along  the  stream  is  a  growth  of 
cottonwood  trees ;  but  its  great  advantage  as  an  am 
buscade  lies  in  the  narrowness  of  the  canon.  On  the 
top  of  the  two  ranges  of  bluffs  the  Indians  had  in 
trenched  themselves  in  a  series  of  pits,  so  that  when 
the  troops  halted  at  the  first  volley,  they  stood  between 
two  fires  at  a  range  of  only  650  yards  from  either  bluff. 

The  battle  took  place  on  the  morning  of  September 
29.  The  locality  of  the  ambush  had  been  known  as 
Bad  Canon,  but  it  will  hereafter  be  described  as  Thorn- 
burgh's  Pass.  , 

Lieutenant  Cherry  discovered  the  ambush  and  was 
ordered  by  Major  Thornburgh  to  hail  the  Indians. 
He  took  fifteen  men  of  "  E"  Company  for  this  work. 
Major  Thornburgh's  orders  were  not  to  make  the  first 
fire  on  the  Indians,  but  to  await  an  attack  from  them. 
After  the  Indians  and  Cherry's  hailing  party  had  faced 
each  other  for  about  ten  minutes,  Mr.  Rankin,  the 
scout,  who  is  an  old  Indian  fighter,  seeing  the  danger 
in  which  the  command  was  placed,  hurried  direct  to 
Major  Thornburgh's  side  and  requested  him  to  open 
fire  on  the  enemy,  saying  at  the  same  time  that  that 
was  their  only  hope. 

Major  Thornburgh  replied : 

"  My  God !  I  dare  not ;  my  orders  are  positive, 
and  if  I  violate  them  and  survive,  a  court  martial  and 
ignominious  dismissal  may  follow.  I  feel  as  though 
myself  and  men  were  to  be  murdered." 


THE   UTE   WAR.  23 

Major  Thornburgh,  with  Captain  Payne,  was  riding 
at  the  head  of  the  column,  Company  "  F,"  Fifth  Cav 
alry,  in  advance,  Lieutenant  Lawson  commanding 
next,  and  "  D "  Company,  Fifth  Cavalry,  Lieutenant 
Paddock  commanding,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the 
rear,  in  charge  of  the  wagon  train. 

Cherry  had  moved  out  at  a  gallop  with  his  men 
from  the  right  flank,  and  noticed  a  like  movement  of 
about  twenty  Indians  from  the  left  of  the  Indians' 
position.  He  approached  to  within  a  couple  hundred 
yards  of  the  Indians  and  took  off  his  hat  and  waved 
it,  but  the  response  was  a  shot  fired  at  him,  wounding 
a  man  of  the  party  and  killing  his  horse.  This  was 
the  first  shot,  and  was  instantly  followed  by  a  volley 
from  the  Indians.  The  work  had  now  begun  in  real 
earnest,  and  seeing  the  advantage  of  the  position  he 
then  held,  Cherry  dismounted  his  detachment  and 
deployed  along  the  crest  of  the  hill  to  prevent  the 
Indians  flanking  his  position,  or  to  cover  his  retreat  if 
found  necessary  to  retire  upon  the  wagon  train,  which 
was  then  coming  up  slowly,  guarded  by  Lieutenant 
Paddock's  company,  D,  Fifth  cavalry. 

"Orders  were  sent  to  pack  the  wagons  and  cover 
them,  with  the  company  guarding  them.  The  two 
companies  in  advance  were  Captain  Payne's  company, 
F,  Fifth  cavalry,  and  Lieutenant  Lawson's  company, 
E,  Third  cavalry,  which  were  dismounted  and  deployed 
as  skirmishers,  Captain  Payne  on  the  left  and  Lieuten 
ant  Lawson  on  the  right. 

From  Cherry's  position  he  could  see  that  the  In 
dians  were  trying  to  cut  him  off  from  the  wagons, 
and  at  once  sent  word  to  Major  Thornburgh,  who 
then  withdrew  the  line  slowly,  keeping  the  Indians  in 
check  until  opposite  the  point  which  his  men  had, 
when,  seeing  that  the  Indians  were  concentrating  to 
cut  off  his  retreat,  Captain  Payne,  with  Company  F, 


24  THE   UTE   WAR. 

Fifth  cavalry,  was  ordered  to  charge  the  hill,  which 
he  did  in  gallant  style,  his  horse  being  shot  under 
him  and  several  of  his  men  wounded. 

The  Indians  being  driven  from  this  point,  the  com 
pany  was  rallied  on  the  wagon  train.  Major  Thorn- 
burgh  then  gave  orders  to  Cherry  to  hold  his  position 
and  cover  Lieutenant  Lawson's  retreat,  who  was  or 
dered  to  fall  back  slowly  with  the  company  horses  of 
his  company. 

Cherry  called  for  volunteers  of  twenty  men,  who 
responded  promptly  and  fought  with  desperation. 
Nearly  every  man  was  wounded  before  he  reached 
camp,  and  two  men  were  killed.  Cherry  brought 
every  wounded  man  in  with  him. 

Lieutenant  Lawson  displayed  the  greatest  coolness 
and  courage  during  this  retreat,  sending  up  ammuni 
tion  to  Cherry's  men  when  once  they  were  nearly 
without  it. 

Simultaneously  with  the  attack  on  Thornburgh's 
advance  the  Indians  swept  in  between  the  troops  and 
the  wagon  train,  which  was  protected  by  D  Company, 
Lieutenant  Paddock  commanding.  The  desperate 
situation  of  the  soldiers  in  the  ravine  was  at  once 
apparent  to  every  officer  and  man  in  the  'ambush. 
The  soldiers  fought  valiently,  desperately  and  the 
Indians  shrank  under  the  terrible  counter  fire.  A 
more  complete  trap  could  not  be  contrived,  for  the 
troops  were  not  only  outnumbered  but  exposed  to  a 
galling  fire  from  bluffs  over  the  edge  of  which  it  was 
impossible  to  reach  the  foe,  as  the  range  of  sight 
would,  of  course,  carry  bullets  clear  over  the  Indian 
pits. 

Major  Thornburgh  was  here  and  there  and  every 
where  directing  the  attack,  the  defense  and  later  the 
retreat.  He  was  constantly  exposed  to  fire  and  the 
wonder  is  that  his  intrepidity  did  not  win  his  death 


THE   UTE   WAR.  25 

» 

ere  it  did.  Captain  Payne  and  his  company  under 
orders  from  Thornburgh  fell  back  to  a  knoll  followed 
by  Lieutenant  Lawson  and  company,  the  retreat 
being  covered  by  Lieutenant  Cherry's  command. 
Hemmed  in  at  both  outlets  of  the  pass  and  subjected 
to  a  steady  deathly  fire  from  the  hights  on  either 
side,  the  troops  were  melting  down  under  the  savage 
massacre. 


MAJOR  T.    T.    THORNBURGH. 

Major  Thornburgh,  seeing  the  terrible  danger  in 
which  his  command  was  placed  from  the  position  of 
the  Indians,  at  once  mounted  about  twenty  men,  and 
at  the  head  of  them  he  dashed  forward  with  a  valor 
unsurpassed  by  Napoleon  at  the  Bridge  of  Lodi, 
and  made  a  charge  on  the  savages  between  the  com 
mand  and  the  train. 

It  was  in  this  valorous  dash  that  Thornburgh  met 
his  fate,  thirteen  of  his  bold  followers  also  being 
killed,  the  gallant  leader  falling  within  four  hundred 
yards  of  the  wagons. 


26  THE   UTE   WAR. 

The  remainder  of  the  command  then  in  retreat  for 
the  train  corral,  followed  the  path  led  by  Thornburgh 
and  his  men.  As  Captain  Payne's  company  was 
about  to  start,  or  had  started,  his  saddle  girth  broke 
and  he  got  a  fearful  fall.  One  of  his  men  dismounted 
and  assisted  him  on  his  horse,  the  Captain's  horse 
having  run  away.  F  Company,  Fifth,  followed  by 
the  Captain,  he  being  badly  bruised,  reached  the 
wagon  train  to  find  it  being  packed,  and  Lieutenant 
Paddock  fighting  the  Indians,  and  wounded.  Lieu 
tenants  Lawson  and  Cherry  fell  back  slowly  with  their 
companies  dismounted  and  fighting  all  the  way,  every 
man  doing  his  duty. 

The  stubborn  resistance  of  Lieutenant  Cherry  in 
covering  the  retreat  gave  time  for  the  troops  at  the 
train  to  form  temporary  breastworks  of  men's  bun 
dles,  flour,  sacks  of  corn,  wagons  and  dead  horses, 
and  when  the  last  detachment  had  reached  the  Pad 
dock  corral  the  soldiers  fought  and  entrenched,  horses 
being  shot  down  rapidly  and  the  foe  settling  into  po 
sition  on  all  the  high  points  about  them.  Captain 
Payne,  who  by  Thornburgh's  death  came  into  com 
mand,  drew  up  eight  of  the  wagons  and  ranged  them 
as  a  sort  of  a  breastwork  along  the  northern  and 
eastern  sides  of  an  oval,  at  the  same  time  cutting 
transverse  trenches  on  the  western  and  southern 
points  of  the  oval,  along  the  line  of  which  the  men 
"posted  themselves.  Inside  the  oval  eight  more 
wagons  were  drawn  up  for  the  purpose  of  corralling 
the  animals,  and  there  was  also  a  pit  provided  for 
sheltering  the  wounded.  Behind  the  pits  ran  a  path 
to  the  nearest  bend  of  Milk  River,  which  was  used  for 
obtaining  water.  The  command  held  their  position 
until  8:30  o'clock  that  night,  when  the  Indians  with 
drew. 

In   the    engagement    there    were   twelve    soldiers 


THE  'UTE   WAR.  2? 

killed  and  forty-two  wounded.  Every  officer  in  the 
command  was  shot  with  the  exception  of  Lieutenant 
Cherry,  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry.  The  Indians  killed 
from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  mules  be 
longing  to  the  government.  Surgeon  Grimes  was 
wounded  but  was  able  for  duty.  The  troops  had 
about  six  days'  supplies. 

When  the  roll  was  called,  as  the  darkness  of  night 
settled  about  the  beleaguered  troops,  it  was  found  that 
the  following  men  had  been  killed  or  wounded  in  the 
battle : 

KILLED. 

Major  Thornburgh,  Fourth  Infantry. 
First  Sergeant  John  Dolan,  Company.  F,  Fifth  Cav 
alry. 

Private  John  Burns,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 
Michael  Fieretom,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 
Amos  D.  Miller,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 
Samuel  McKee,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 
Thomas  Mooney,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cavalry. 
Michael  Lynch,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cavalry. 
Charles  Wright,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cavalry. 
Dominick  Caff,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 
Wagonmaster  McKinsley. 
Teamster  McGuire. 

WOUNDED. 

Captain  Payne,  Fifth  Cavalry,  slight  wound  in  the 
arm  and  side. 

Lieutenant  Paddock,  Fifth  Cavalry,  flesh  wound  in 
the  hip. 

Dr.  Grimes,  flesh  wound  in  the  shoulder. 

Sergeant  John  Merrill,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Trumpeter  Frederick  Sutcliff,  Company  F,  Fifth 
Cavalry. 

Trumpeter  John  McDonald,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cav 
alry. 


28  THE   UTE   WAR. 

Private  Just,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Gibbs,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  John  Hoaxey,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Emil  Kurzman,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Eugene  Patterson,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cav 
alry. 

Private  Frank  Simmons,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Eugene  Shiek,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Edouz,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  William  Eizer,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Gattlied,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Steiger,  Company  F,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Nicholas,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Heeney,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Thomas,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Lynch,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Private  Frederick. Bernhard,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cav 
alry. 

Private  E.  Muller,  Company  D,  Fifth  Cavalry. 

Sergeant  James  Montgomery,  Company  E,  Third 
Cavalry. 

Sergeant  Allen  Lupton,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 

Corporal   C.  F.  Eichmurtzel,  Company  E,  Third 
Cavalry. 

Frank  Hunter,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 

Private  James  Conway,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 
f    Private  John  Crowley,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 

Private  W.  H.  Clark,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 

Private  Orlando  Durand,  Company  E,  Third  Cav 
alry. 

Private  Thomas  Ferguson,  Company  E,  Third  Cav 
alry. 

Private  Thomas  Lewis,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 

Private  Edward  Lavelle,  Company  E,  Third  Cav 
alry. 

Private  Willard  Mitchell,  Company  E,  Third  Cav 
alry. 


THE   UTE   WAR.  29 

Private  John  Mahoney,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 

Private  James  Patterson,  Company  E,  Third  Cav 
alry. 

Private  W.  M.  Schubert,  Company  E,  Third  Cav 
alry. 

Private  Thomas  McNamara,  Company  E,  Third 
Cavalry. 

Private  Marcus  Hanson,  Company  E,  Third  Cav 
alry. 

Private  James  Budha,  Company  E,  Third  Cavalry. 

Private  James  Donovan,  Company  E,  Third  Cav 
alry. 

In  the  fight  twenty-three  Indians  were  killed  and 
two  severely  wounded,  how  many  slightly  wounded 
is  not  known.  Among  the  Indians  killed  were 
Ouray's  nephew,  Wattsconavot  (meaning  Doctor), 
and  Catolowop  (meaning  Fat  Man). 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  SIX  DAYS'  SIEGE EXERIENCE  OF  THE  BELEAGUERED 

TROOPS MAKING  BREASTWORKS  OF  DEAD  SOLDIERS — 

THE  RENEGADE  WITH  THE  INDIANS SHARP  SHOOTING 

HOSTILES — SENDING  OUT  COURIERS ARRIVAL  OF  THE 

NEGRO  CAVALRY THE  SURPRISE,  THE  CHALLENGE  AND 

THE  DASH — MERRITT'S  RESCUE  AND  THE  RAISING  OF 
THE  SIEGE — A  VISIT  TO  THE  BATTLE  FIELD — THORN- 
BURGH'S  BODY — RETURN  TO  RAWLINS. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  first  night  of  the  siege 
under  cover  of  the  darkness,  while  the  Indians  had 
temporarily  ceased  their  murderous  vigil,  Joe  Rankin, 
the  scout  who  had  warned  the  fallen  commander  of 
his  danger,  stole  away  from  the  trenches  and  suc 
ceeded  in  reaching  the  open  road  to  the  north.  His 
mission  was  to  convey  the  tidings  of  the  battle  and 
call  out  relief  for  the  beleaguered  troops.  The  won 
derful  ride  of  this  daring  scout  has  become  a  feature 
in  the  history  of  the  war.  The  distance  from  the 
scene  of  the  massacre  to  Rawlins,  the  nearest  tele 
graph  point,  is  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles.  Ran 
kin  started  at  ten  o'clock  Monday  night  on  a  strange 
horse,  his  having  been  shot  in  the  battle,  and  deliv 
ered  the  startling  tidings  at  Rawlins  Wednesday 
morning  between  two  and  three  o'clock,  he  having 
accomplished  the  distance  in  twenty-eight  hours. 
This  man  brought  the  first  news  of  the  ambush  and 
of  the  death  of  Thornburgh  and  his  command. 

The  first  morning  of  the  siege  broke  bright  and 
clear.  It  was  a  glorious  day  and  the  romantic  scenery 
of  the  canon  never  spoke  greater  glory  to  Nature. 


32  THE   UTE   WAR. 

But  the  picture  which  the  rising  sun,  as  it  moved 
across  the  arch,  exposed  to  view,  was  one  which  none 
but  a  hostile  could  gaze  upon  and  not  shudder. 

As  the  dark  mantle  of  night  was  lifted  and  the  first 
day  of  the  siege  came  on,  the  orb  of  light  was  greeted 
by  the  groans  of  the  dying,  the  moans  of  the  wounded 
and  the  wild  cry  of  the  disabled  horses.  The  hours 
of  the  first  night  had  seen  the  soldiers  laboring  hard 
to  complete  their  defense  as  far  as  possible  and  se 
cure  to  themselves  all  the  protection  which  the  des 
peration  of  a  forlorn  hope  could  call  upon  men  to 
devise.  The  location  of  the  pits  and  wagons  and  the 
position  of  the  trenches  and  wagons  have  been  given. 
There  were  seventeen  pits  in  all,  about  seventy  feet 
long,  two  and  a  half  feet  wide  and  two  feet  deep,  with 
breast  works  ranging  from  two  to  four  feet  above  the 
opening  and  at  its  sides.  In  the  centre  of  the  pits 
were  forty-three  wounded  men,  including  a  few  set 
tlers.  One  hundred  soldiers  occupied  the  pits  and 
over  two  hundred  and  fifty  dead  animals  surrounded 
the  corral.  There  were  two  look-outs  to  each  pit, 
making  thirty-four  men  constantly  on  guard,  through 
oddly  fashioned  loop-holes,  in  some  instances  made 
through  the  body  of  a  horse. 

As  day  grew  on,  the  alert  foe,  securely  hidden  be 
hind  the  sheltering  shelves  of  the  bluffs,  renewed 
their  fire,  watching  each  exposed  point  and  directing 
aim  at  man  or  beast  whenever  carelessness  or  neces 
sity  brought  them  in  even  momentary  view. 

Captain  Payne,  then  in  command,  during  the  night 
had  the  wounded  horses  shot  for  breastworks,  dis 
mantling  the  wagons  of  boxes,  bundles  of  the  bed 
ding,  corn  and  flour  sacks,  which  were  piled  up  for 
fortifications,  so  that  the  troops  were  fairly  protected 
when  morning  came.  The  picks  and  shovels  were 
used  vigorously  during  the  day  for  digging  entrench- 


THE   UTE   WAR.  33 

ments.  All  the  time  a  galling  fire  was  concentrated 
upon  the  command  from  all  the  surrounding  bluffs 
which  commanded  the  position.  Not  an  Indian  could 
be  seen,  but  the  incessant  crack  of  their  Sharps  and 
Winchester  rifles  dealt  fearful  destruction  among  the 
horses  and  men. 

The  groans  of  the  dying  and  the  agonizing  cries  of 
the  wounded  told  what  terrible  havoc  was  being  made 
among  the  determined  and  desperate  command.  Ev 
ery  man  was  bound  to  sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  possible. 

About  mid- day  a  great  danger  was  seen  approach 
ing  at  a  frightfully  rapid  pace.  The  red  devils,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  day,  had  set  fire  to  the  dry  grass 
and  sage-brush  to  the  windward  of  the  position  of  the 
pits,  and  it  now  came  sweeping  down  towards  the 
trenches,  the  flames  leaping  high  into  the  air  and  dense 
volumes  of  smoke  rolling  on  to  engulf  the  troops. 
It  was  a  sight  to  make  the  stoutest  heart  quail,  and 
the  fiends  were  waiting  ready  to  send  in  a  volley  as 
soon  the  soldiers  should  be  driven  from  their  shelter. 
It  soon  reached  the  flanks,  and  blankets,  blouses  and 
empty  sacks  were  freely  used  to  extinguish  the  flames. 
Some  of  the  wagons  were  set  on  fire,  and  it  required 
all  the  force  possible  to  smother  the  blaze.  No  water 
could  be  obtained,  and  the  smoke  was  suffocating,  but 
the  fire  passed,  and  the  men  still  held  their  position. 

All  this  time  a  constant  fire  was  poured  upon  the 
pits,  Captain  Payne  being  wounded  for  the  second 
time  and  First  Sergeant  Dolan,  of  Company  F,  killed 
instantly;  McKinsley  and  McKee  killed  and  many 
others  wounded.  But  the  greatest  danger  was  past. 
The  men  had  now  nearly  covered  themselves,  but  the 
poor  horses  and  mules  were  constantly  falling  under 
sharp  fire. 

And  so  passed  the  first  day.  That  night  a  second 
courier  was  sent  out  with  despatches  up  to  the  hour 

3 


34  THE   UTE    WAR. 

of  his  leaving.  There  was  great  danger  in  breaking 
from  the  shelter  of  the  trenches  even  under  cover  of 
the  darkness,  but  the  men  who  volunteered  for  this 
service  knew  no  fear  and  were  skilled  in  the  intrepid 
feats  they  essayed.  During  the  second  day  the 
bodies  of  the  dead  men  and  animals  began  to  become 
offensive,  and  every  opportunity  afforded  by  a  brief 
relaxation  in  the  firing  of  the  Indians  from  the  heights 
which  might  indicate  a  temporary  cessation  of  watch 
ing,  the  breastworks  which  crested  the  trenches  would 
be  increased  in  dimensions  by  the  added  body  of  a 
dead  soldier  or  horse.  Over  these  bodies  dirt  was 
thrown,  and  by  this  means  the  corpses  were  poorly 
buried  and  at  the  same  time  additional  protection 
afforded  the  survivors  of  the  fight.  Thus  had  been 
erected  three  breastworks  formed  by  the  dead  bodies 
of  horses,  while  one  was  formed  of  dead  soldiers  piled 
one  above  the  other  and  covered  with  earth. 

Many  were  the  earnest  councils  held  as  to  the  pos 
sible  means  by  craft  or  daring  of  escaping  the  terrible 
pen  in  which  the  soldiers  were.  The  hours  were 
counted  it  would  take  the  relief  in  which  to  reach  the 
trenches,  in  case  the  couriers  got  through  safely. 
There  seemed  no  way  but  to  wait  the  coming  of  the 
troops. 

Just  about  sundown  this  day  a  charge  was  attempt 
ed,  but  repulsed,  the  Indians  trying  to  drive  off  some 
of  the  horses  that  had  broken  loose.  The  attack 
ceased  at  dark,  and  pretty  soon  every  man  was  at 
work  enlarging  the  trenches,  hauling  out  the  dead 
horses,  caring  for  the  wounded  and  burying  the  dead. 
And  so  came  on  the  third  night.  In  the  history  of 
the  siege  this  was  the  most  uneventful  night.  Several 
trips  were  made  for  water,  which  brought  no  warning 
shot  from  the  bluffs.  The  wounded  were  cared  for 
and  the  protections  made  more  secure. 


THE    UTE    WAR. 

The  sun  came  up  on  the  third  day  of  the  siege, 
shooting  its  rays  upon  the  horde  of  dead,  wounded 
and  alive  alike.  How  succor  was  prayed  for;  how 
the  speed  of  the  couriers  was  urged  by  the  despairing 
soldiers  as  they  contemplated  their  desperate,  almost 
hopeless  condition,  rendered  ten-fold  wretched  by  the 
presence  of  their  dead  comrades  and  the  sufferings  of 
their  wounded  companions.  But  while  yet  the  be 
leaguered  troops  were  praying  for  the  safety  of  their 
messengers  and  the  hurrying  forward  of  their  relief, 
an  outlook  shouted  alarm,  and  preparations  were 
made  for  an  attack  from  the  foe  which  had  been  ex 
pected  for  hours.  Every  man  jumped  to  his  post 
ready  to  give  the  red  devils  a  warm  welcome.  Even 
the  wounded  who  were  able  to  do  so,  grasped  rifles 
and  made  ready  to  defend  themselves,  shattered  as 
they  were.  But  it  was  a  relief,  entirely  unlocked  for, 
but  welcome  beyond  expression.  It  was  the  famous 
colored  cavalry  under  command  of  Captain  Dodge, 
who  had  been  intercepted  by  a  Rawlins  courier  and 
had  ridden  to  the  support  of  their  white  brethren  in 
arms. 

The  Dodge  command  had  arrived  at  the  entrance 
to  the  pass  wherein  the  troops  were  entrenched  before 
a  note  of  their  proximity  had  been  conveyed  to  the 
Indians  or  the  men  in  the  pits.  Here  a  halt  was 
made,  and  Gordon,  the  mail  carrier,  and  Sandy  Mel- 
len,  from  Middle  Park,  the  guide,  were  sent  forward 
toward  the  rifle  pits  to  announce  the  arrival.  The 
three  men  were  challenged  as  they  came  in,  and 
answered,  "A  company  of  cavalry."  "That's  a 
damned  lie  ;  it's  an  Indian  ruse — look  out,"  was  the 
response  from  the  pits.  One  of  the  advance  then 
shouted,  "  I'm  John  Gordon,"  and  the  voice  being 
recognized,  they  were  directed  to  "come  on  in." 
When  the  men  in  the  pit,s  heard  that  Dodge's  com- 


36  THE   UTE   WAR. 

pany  was  near  and  that  their  couriers  had  probably 
reached  Merritt,  the  poor  fellows  sent  up  a  great  shout, 
which  was  a  sufficient  signal  for  the  colored  boys  to 
come  on,  and  the  command  made  a  dash  for  the  pits. 
The  shouting  of  the  Payne  men  had  aroused  the  In 
dians,  and  one  or  two  shots  from  the  heights  were 
followed  by  a  heavy  and  continuous  volley  in  the 
direction  of  the  pits.  The  dash  was  over  a  distance 
of  600  yards,  and  not  a  man  was  struck.  Reaching 
the  corral,  the  horses  of  the  negro  cavalry  were 
quickly  tied  and  unsaddled,  and  the  men  sank  into 
the  pits  with  their  besieged  comrades. 

A  soldier  with  Payne  thus  speaks  of  the  arrival  of 
Dodge  and  his  colored  company  : 

"  We  were  getting  pretty  d d  tired  about  that 

time.  It  was  the  third  morning  after  we  were  cor 
ralled,  and  of  course  we  didn't  know  whether  any  of 
our  messengers  sent  out  from  camp  had  struck  help 
or  not.  Suddenly  that  morning  in  the  dusk  we  heard 
a  noise.  Even  by  that  time  some  of  us  had  begun  to 
fear  that  the  Indians  would  charge  us,  and  we  all  then 
supposed  it  might  be  Indians.  If  it  hadn't  been  for 
the  voice  of  John  Gordon,  the  scout,  who  was  riding 
in  the  advance,  we  might  have  poured  in  a  volley  at 
them ;  but  you  bet  your  life  there  wasn't  no  volley 
except  cheers  when  Gordon  rode  in  with  five  or  six 
darkies  alongside  of  him.  Pretty  soon  he  told  us 
what  was  up  and  what  to  expect,  and  when  Captain 
Dodge  came  up  at  a  canter,  leading  the  rest  of  his 
men,  we  didn't  take  much  account,  except  to  wonder 
a  little  at  the  color  of  their  faces.  We  forgot  all  about 
the  danger  of  exposing  ourselves,  and  leaped  up  out 
of  the  pits  to  shake  hands  all  around.  Why,"  con 
tinued  this  soldier  with  curious  naivete,  "  we  took  those 
darkies  in  right  along  with  us  in  the  pits.  We  let  'em 
sleep  with  us,  and  they  took  their  knives  and  cut  off 
slips  of  bacon  from  the  same  sides  as  we  did." 


THE   UTE   WAR.  37 

Captain  Dodge  threw  up  pits  to  the  east  of  the 
others,  the  work  being  accomplished  very  quietly  be 
fore  moon-up  on  the  night  following  their  arrival.  As 
soon  as  Captain  Dodge  arrived  the  spirits  of  the  be 
leaguered  troops  revived,  and  they  became  rather  gay, 
and  said  if  Merritt  was  coming  no  thousand  Indians 
could  take  their  pits.  At  night  regular  details  had  to 
make  a  sortie  for  water  from  the  river,  about  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  yards  away.  The  Indians  would  fire  at 
random,  but  only  two  men  were  struck  during  the 
entire  six  days,  and  these  only  scratched.  The  Indians 
were  in  seven  pits  on  the  heights  surrounding  the  little 
valley  in  which  the  troops  lay  hidden,  and  during  the 
six  days'  siege  became  very  skillful  marksmen,  doing 
sharpshooting  that  would  do  credit  to  the  Creedmore. 
A  soldier  would  take  his  hat,  and  placing  it  on  a 
sword  or  stick,  hoist  it  above  the  pits,  and  in  five  sec 
onds  it  would  be  riddled  with  bullets  sent  from  all 
directions.  The  soldiers  got  very  few  chances  at  the 
Indians,  as  they  were  well  hidden,  and  so  high  up  that 
good  range  was  impossible.  Most  of  the  Indians  seen 
at  a  distance  wore  citizens'  clothes,  hats  and  all,  many 
wearing  uniforms  taken  from  the  bodies  of  the  dead 
soldiers.  On  the  second  day  of  Dodge's  rest  in  the 
pits,  and  the  fifth  day  of  the  siege,  a  charge  was  ex 
pected  from  the  Indians,  as  the  soldiers  had  fired  few 
shots  the  previous  day,  and  the  Indians  evidently 
thought  their  ammunition  was  exhausted.  But  night 
came  and  went  and  no  charge  was  made.  During  the 
two  days  that  the  colored  relief  were  in  the  trenches 
the  only  events  to  chase  the  monotony  away  were  call 
ing  the  hour,  and  an  occasional  shot  at  an  exposed 
Indian.  Little  effort  was  made  at  jest  or  story-telling, 
as  the  presence  of  the  dead  and  wounded  chased  away 
any  desire  for  sport,  and  the  stench  from  the  dead 
animals  and  men  was  insufferable.  One  man  by  the 


38  THE    UTE    WAR. 

name  of  Hogan  essayed  to  make  light  of  the  situation, 
but  the  laughter  was  feeble  and  forced. 

In  this  way,  unwashed,  unkempt,  illy  fed,  at  a  time 
when  even  night,  illumined  by  stars,  refused  its  cus 
tomary  shield  of  darkness,  the  men  of  Payne's  (white) 
and  Dodge's  (colored)  commands  awaited  further  suc 
cor.  They  were  not  only  beleaguered  by  savages, 
who  kept  a  cross-fire  on  them  from  two  commanding 
bluffs,  but  were  listeners  to  constant  insults,  uttered  in 
English  and  seeming  to  come  from  some  white  man 
quartered  with  their  savage  foes.  When  a  horse  or  a 
mule  fell  a  taunting  voice  from  the  bluffs  would  come, 
saying : — 

"Better  go  out  and  harness  him  again  for  your 
funeral." 

Again : — "  Lift  up  your  hats  and  give  us  a  mark." 

Still  again: — "Come  out  of  your  holes,  you , 

and  fight. square." 

This  last  from  the  renegade  ensconced  with  the 
Utes. 

The  situation  was  chiefly  horrible  from  the  con 
stant  wounds  and  death-struggles  of  the  poor  animals, 
which  they  could  in  no  way  protect  from  the  Indian 
fire.  "Every  few  minutes,"  says  one,  "you  heard  the 
dying  gurgle  of  a  horse  or  a  mule,  and  although  we 
fastened  them  as  securely  as  possible  at  night,  their 
pangs  were  such  that  they  would  often  break  away 
after  being  hit,  threatening  the  men's  lives  in  the 
trenches.  Once  a  wounded  horse  leaped  in  his  agony 
right  into  the  pit  we  had  dug  for  the  wounded,  where 
Lieutenant  Paddock  and  seven  men  were  lying  at  the 
time.  It  was  a  miracle,  almost,  that  he  did  not 
trample  them  to  death.  As  it  was,  we  all  opened  a 
terrific  fire  on  the  bluffs,  so  as  to  make  the  Utes  stop 
firing,  and  under  cover  of  this  fusilade  a  lot  of  our 
boys  jumped  up  and  hauled  the  horse  out  of  the 


THE    UTE    WAR.  39 

trench.  We  had  to  watch  out  continually  to  give 
dangerously  wounded  horses  and  mules  their  quietus. 
If  they  got  cavorting  after  receiving  an  Indian  bullet, 
and  we  could  see  that  they  were  maimed  or  fatally 
injured,  the  soldiers  would  take  aim  and  finish  them. 
It  was  awfully  hard  once  in  a  while.  A  friend  of 
mine  got  three  flesh  wounds  in  trying  to  save  his 
horse's  life.  Finally,  the  horse  was  shot  through  one 
of  his  iorelegs.  Instead  of  writhing  around  like  the 
others,  he  came  hobbling  up  to  the  edge  of  the  pit 
where  Joe  and  I  were  and  looked  down  at  Joe,  as  if 
to  say,  "Help  me,  for  God's  sake!"  Joe  turned  to 
me  and  said,  "You'll  have  to  finish  him,  Hank;  I 
can't  do  it;  by  God,  I  can't!"  I  watched  my  chance 
as  the  horse  turned  and  put  a  ball  in  right  behind  his 
left  ear,  and  dropped  him.  That  night  we  hauled 
him  outside  with  the  rest." 

There  were  several  pet  dogs  in  the  camp,  among 
them  a  beautiful  greyhound,  belonging  to  Lieutenant 
Cherry.  "  I  used  to  let  him  out  of  my  pit  occasion 
ally,"  says  the  Lieutenant,  "to  run  down  to  the  water. 
One  night  he  came  back  with  one  of  his  paws  shot 
off.  It  turned  out  that  he  had  been  fired  on  by  one  of 
our  own  sentinels,  who  mistook  him  for  a  crawling 
Indian.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  kill  the  poor 
old  fellow  to  save  him  misery." 

One  morning  a  soldier  of  Payne's  command, 
wounded  in  the  arm  and  so  ill  that  he  had  had  no 
appetite  for  two  days,  turned  to  a  negro  soldier  close 
by  him,  saying,  "  Here,  pard,  stop  shooting  at  them 
bluffs,  and  for  the  Lord's  sake  make  me  a  little  coffee." 
The  colored  hero  thus  addressed  answered  not  a  word, 
but  set  to  work.  There  was  no  coffee  in  the  pit,  but 
there  was  some  in  the  next  one  which  was  tossed  over. 
But  how  to  make  a  fire  without  wood,  that  was  the 
question.  The  colored  man  calculated  the  chances, 


40  THE   UTE   WAR. 

made  a  break  for  the  sutler's  wagon,  snatched  a  loose 
side  of  a  provision  box  and  came  back  with  a  bullet 
hole  in  the  board,  which  was  meant  for  his  own  body. 
Then  he  made  a  fire  in  a  corner  of  the  pit  and  pre 
pared  the  coffee  for  his  patient. 

The  sutler's  wagon  was  a  fair  target,  and  the  sutler 
himself  was  hit  in  the  leg  while  making  an  incautious 
approach  to  it.  It  had  a  limited  supply  of  provisions, 
the  regulation  hard  tack  and  raw  bacon,  and  a  little 
liquor,  which  was  of  great  service  to  the  _  wounded. 
Another  vehicle  which  "saw  service,"  and  will 
doubtless  be  preserved  at  Fort  Steele  as  a  pet  relic 
of  siege  -history,  is  the  ambulance  taken  down  by 
Major  Thornburgh.  It  stood  out  with  the  wagons 
near  the  centre  of  the  oval  space  occupied  by  the 
troops,  and  is  ventilated  by  some  thirty  bullet  holes. 
Rankin,  the  scout,  got  under  it  one  day  for  a  nap  and 
was  awakened  by  a  ball  which  struck  one  of  the 
spokes  within  two  inches  of  the  top  of  his  head. 

The  horses  of  Dodge's  soldiers  were  left  standing, 
but  before  two  mornings  had  dawned  nearly  every 
one  of  the  animals  was  lying  dead,  three  deep.  All 
but  four  of  the  Dodge  command's  horses  were  picked 
off  by  the  Indians  and  these  four  were  badly  wounded. 
It  was  better  to  have  them  killed  than  for  them  to  be 
taken  by  the  Indians. 

Had  the  heights  been  accessible,  Captain  Dodge 
would  have  charged  them  with  his  company,  while 
the  others,  including  the  wounded,  covered  him  from 
the  rifle  pits,  but  this  being  utterly  impossible,  the 
ascent  being  nearly  perpendicular,  all  that  could  be 
done  during  the  day  was  to  keep  a  good  lookout  from 
the  loop-holes  and  return  the  fire  when  any  Indians 
showed  their  heads.  This,  however,  was  a  very  rare 
occurrence,  as  the  Indians  had  rifle-pits  and  loop 
holes.  A  very  fortunate  thing  for  the  soldiers  was 


THE    UTE    WAR.  4! 

that  the  Indians  left  them  unmolested  at  night  with 
the  exception  of  an  occasional  shot  to  make  them 
scatter  to  their  pits.  They  were  able,  at  great  risk,  to 
haul  off  the  dead  animals  every  night ;  otherwise  the 
stench  would  have  been  intolerable.  A  sally  was 
made  every  night  for  water,  a  distance  of  two  hundred 
yards  from  the  entrenchment. 


THE    SCOUT — JOE    RANKIN. 

The  sixth  night  of  the  siege  Private  Eizer,  of  Com 
pany  F,  was  shot  in  the  face  while  out  with  a  party 
after  water.  The  Indians  were  only  a  few  yards  away, 
and  were  driven  off  by  a  volley  from  the  guard  and 
trenches.  This  night  no  courier  could  be  got  off 
owing  to  the  constant  firing  of  the  Indians  into  the 
pits,  but  the  troops  determined  to  hold  out  if  it  took 


42  THE    UTE   WAR. 

a  month  for  succor  to  reach  them.  But  they  were 
confident  that  General  Merritt,  whose  name  was  upon 
the  lips  of  every  one,  was  on  the  road  to  rescue  them. 

On  the  morning  of  the  5th  about  five  o'clock,  just 
as  the  grey  streaks  of  day  were  penciling  the  Eastern 
sky,  the  bugles  of  Gen.  Merritt's  advance  sounded  the 
officers'  call,  which  is  the  night  signal  of  the  Fifth 
Cavalry.  The  men  in  the  pits  heard  the  glad  notes 
with  rejoicing,  and  impetuously  turned  out  of  their 
safety  quarters  to  welcome  the  advancing  rescuers. 

As  soon  as  the  Indians  saw  Merritt's  little  army 
coming  they  fell  back,  and  it  is  supposed  held  a  coun 
cil  as  to  what  to  do.  In  the  meantime  firing  had 
ceased  entirely,  and  the  men  in  the  pits  swung  their 
hats,  and  danced  and  pranced  and — ate  like  gluttons. 
General  Merritt  headed  his  command  as  it  advanced 
to  the  pits.  When  he  saw  the  wreck  and  carnage,  the 
dead  and  wounded,  and  viewed  the  signs  of  massacre 
on  every  hand,  he  turned  aside  and  wept  like  a  child. 
This  evidence  of  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  commander 
brought  out  cheers  on  every  side,  and  while  not  un 
mindful  of  their  dead  comrades,  the  hour  was  one  of 
rejoicing  over  the  raise  of  the  siege. 

Several  witnesses  describe  the  arrival  of  Merritt 
and  his  troops,  and  say  that  when  the  General  met 
Captain  Payne,  the  two  threw  their  arms  around  each 
other,  and  that  tears  were  shed.  That  is  not  unlikely. 
Both  men  were  exhausted,  Payne  by  his  wounds  and 
anxiety,  Merritt  by  his  long  march.  As  for  the  rest, 
there  is  no  concealment  about  the  tears.  There  was 
such  a  scene  in  that  wretched  corral  for  five  or  ten 
minutes  as  few  men  witness  twice  in  a  lifetime,  or 
want  to. 

A  company  of  fresh  men  was  ordered  forward  to 
the  scene  of  the  battle,  about  eight  hundred  yards 
south  of  the  pits.  In  making  this  trip  a  lively  skir- 


THE    UTE    WAR.  43 

mish  took  place  with  a  band  of  concealed  Indians, 
during  which  a  considerable  number  of  shots  were 
exchanged,  but  only  two  men  were  killed  and  five 
wounded.  In  the  midst  of  the  skirmish,  and  to  the 
surprise  of  every  one,  Brady,  the  white  courier  from 
Ouray  and  his  Ute  chiefs,  stepped  out  from  the  brush 
on  the  mountain  side,  waving  a  flag  of  truce.  Merritt 
permitted  the  courier  to  advance,  and  held  a  brief 
parley  with  him,  in  which  the  message  to  Douglass 
that  the  troops  would  go  to  the  agency  was  delivered. 
While  the  talk  was  in  progress  firing  ceased.  Finally 
Merritt  told  Brady  to  "  go  back  where  he  came  from. 
He  would  not  talk  with  him."  The  truce  party  then 
withdrew,  and  no  more  was  seen  or  heard  of  the  hos- 
tiles  by  the  soldiers  around  Thornburgh  Pass. 

Lieutenant  Hughes  was  one  of  the  first  to  see 
Thornburgh's  body,  as  it  lay  where  it  fell  on  the  field 
of  battle.  The  Lieutenant  says  there  were  five  or  six 
wounds  in  the  body,  and  that  the  scalp  from  the 
crown  back  was  removed — the  only  scalp  taken  in 
the  fight  or  in  isolated  murders.  Thornburgh  was 
stripped,  and  lying  on  his  back,  and  on  his  breast 
was  a  photograph  of  the  young  Chief  Wammaniche. 

It  was  discovered  in  visiting  the  battle  field  after 
the  siege  that  during  the  stampede  of  the  wagon 
train  by  the  Indians  the  trunk  of  Lieutenant  Cherry, 
who  covered  the  retreat  and  brought  off  the  wounded, 
was  secured  by  the  Indians  and  broken  open.  They 
took  everything  of  the  contents  but  a  bible,  and  left 
Lieutenant  Cherry's  picture  in  the  trunk  with  the 
scalp  of  the  likeness  carefully  cut  out. 

The  force  at  the  pass  after  General  Merritt's  arrival 
numbered  all  told  800  men  —  thirteen  companies. 
The  troops  remained  in  camp  three  days,  when  Gen 
eral  Merritt  went  south  to  the  agency  while  Captain 
Dodge  and  his  company  acted  as  escort  for  the  body 


44  THE   UTE   WAR. 

of  Captain  Thornburgh  and  the  wounded  to  Rawlins, 
which  point  was  reached  on  the  eighteenth. 

In  writing  the  account  of  the  siege,  which  closes 
with  the  preceding  paragraph,  the  arrival  of  the  Dodge 
relief  party  and  of  Merritt's  rescuing  army  is  included. 
The  exploits  performed  by  these  two  commands  and 
their  wonderful  marches  to  the  trenches  in  the  pass, 
present  two  of  the  most  extraordinary  events  in  the 
military  service. 

The  courier  who  brought  the  news  of  the  Thorn- 
burgh  fight  came  direct  to  Rawlins  and  by  3  o'clock 
on  the  morning  of  his  arrival,  October  ist,  the  intelli 
gence  had  been  flashed  to  Fort  Omaha.  General 
Williams  in  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  was  at 
work  giving  orders,  consulting  General  Crook,  who 
was  in  Chicago,  and  ordering  matters  forward.  General 
Merritt,  at  Fort  D.  A.  Russell,  Cheyenne,  was  tele 
graphed  to  and  ordered  to  the  command  of  the  expe 
dition.  The  message  was  carried  by  the  operator  who 
received  it  at  the  latter  place,  to  the  General  at  his 
headquarters  on  horseback  at  break-neck  speed. 
General  Merritt  at  once  began  preparing  for  the  expe 
dition.  The  same  was  true  of  the  arrangements  at 
Camp  Douglass,  Salt  Lake,  and  no  time  was  lost,  but 
everything  perfected  at  short  notice  at  Forts  McPher- 
son  and  Sanders.  This  activity  was  also  displayed 
by  the  Pacific  Railroad.  Though  called  to  do  almost 
extraordinary  things  it  worked  in  harmony  with  the 
military,  and  the  troops  were  all  en  route  to  Rawlins 
in  a  few  hours,  from  which  point  succor  was  to  be 
sent  out.  A  special  train  of  four  cars  of  troops  from 
Camp  Douglass  left  Ogden  at  2  p.  m.  of  that  day  for 
Rawlins.  Three  hundred  men  and  six  hundred 
horses  left  Cheyenne  the  same  hour  for  Rawlins. 
One  company  left  Fort  Sanders  and  two  companies 
of  cavalry  left  Fort  Steele.  The  latter  had  their 


THE    UTE   WAR.  45 

horses,  baggage,  etc.,  with  them.  Troops  were 
ordered  forward  from  Forts  Fetterman  and  Robinson 
to  leave  for  the  seat  of  war  as  soon  as  they  might 
reach  the  railroad,  by  special  train.  General  Merritt, 
to  whom  the  command  of  the  expedition  was  given, 
was  considered  one  of  the  best  Indian  fighters  in  the 
country,  and  his  troops  have  accomplished  wonderful 
things.  At  11:45  ^e  morning  of  the  ist,  he  tele 
graphed  to  General  Williams  that  he  would  be  ready 
and  start  at  4  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd 
with  a  force  of  nearly  five  hundred  and  fifty  men  and 
animals,  and  provisions  in  plenty. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  2nd,  General  Mer 
ritt,  at  the  head  of  four  companies  of  cavalry,  three 
hundred  men,  left  Rawlins  for  the  rescue,  closely  fol 
lowed  by  five  companies  of  infantry,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  strong,  in  wagons.  Merritt  was  accompanied  by 
Scout  Rankin.  On  the  6th,  Colonel  Gilbert,  of  Fort 
Snelling,  Minnesota,  who  had  been  placed  in  charge 
of  Merritt's  supporting  column,  left  Rawlins  with  six 
companies  of  the  Seventh  Infantry,  three  companies 
of  the  Third,  and  three  of  the  Fifth  Cavalry ;  in  all 
four  hundred  and  forty  men.  Merritt's  march  to  the 
rescue  will  be  memorable  as  one  of  the  most  eager, 
energetic  and  rapid  on  record.  The  distance  from 
Rawlins  to  the  rifle  pits  is  one  hundred  and  sixty 
miles,  and  Merritt  made  the  distance  in  forty-eight 
hours,  transporting  five  companies  of  infantry  in 
wagons.  "  Old  Wesley,"  it  was  said,  would  "  come 
with  a  whirl,"  and  he  did. 

The  experience  of  the  Dodge  command,  while  a 
small  body  of  men,  was  none  the  less  thrilling  and 
exciting,  and  the  intrepidity  of  their  ride  to  the  relief, 
after  learning  of  Payne's  situation,  has  been  honorably 
mentioned  by  General  Sherman. 

The  company,  forty-three  strong,  under  command 


46  THE    UTE    WAR. 

of  Captain  Dodge,  Lieutenant  Hughes  being  next  in 
command,  left  Fort  Garland  August  4,  under  orders 
to  proceed  to  Middle  Park  and  remain  there  as  dis 
cretion  directed,  to  prevent  any  collision  between  the 
settlers  and  the  Indians.  Camp  was  struck  ten  miles 
below  Hot  Sulphur  Springs  on  the  iQth  of  August 
Here  the  command  remained  until  the  2/th  of  August, 
when  the  troops  proceeded  to  Peck's  crossing  of  the 
roads  leading  to  Rawlins  and  the  agency.  A  halt  of 
two  days  was  made  at  this  point  for  advices  from  the 
agency,  when  the  command  started  back,  as  the 
rations  were  out.  On  the  return  route  a  communica 
tion  was  received  to  proceed  to  the  agency  to  assist 
in  the  arrest  of  Indians* under  authority  of  the  Agent. 
The  command  secured  rations  at  Steamboat  Springs 
and  then  took  up  the  line  of  march  for  the  agency. 
On  the  I Qth  of  September,  Mansfield  the  courier 
from  the  agency  was  met.  He  bore  the  second  of 
the  three  messages  sent  by  Agent  Meeker.  On  the 
2Oth,  the  command  started  in  quick  time  for  the 
agency.  The  morning  of  the  following  day  a  slip  of 
white  paper  was  found  attached  to  a  bush  by  the  side 
of  the  trail,  with  the  injunctionMn  large  characters  to 
hurry  on  the  troops,  as  the  soldiers  at  the  agency  had 
been  massacred.  This  word,  it  was  afterwards  learned, 
had  been  left  by  a  man  named  Clark,  a  ranchman. 
The  Dodge  command  pushed  on  to  Bear  River,  about 
ten  miles  further  on,  and  here  it  was  discovered  that 
ranches  had  been  deserted,  and  fleeing  ranchmen  who 
were  met  declared  that  the  soldiers  would  be  slaugh 
tered  if  they  proceeded.  These  messages  and  indica 
tions  of  the  uprising  only  hastened  the  movements 
of  the  company  and  on  they  pushed.  While  waiting 
on  Bear  River  for  the  wagons  to  close  up,  Mansfield, 
the  courier,  again  appeared,  this  time  in  company 
with  Gordon,  the  freighter,  whom  he  had  met,  and 


THE    UTE    WAR.  47 

who  bore  messages  from  Captain  Payne.  The  word 
conveyed  was  that  the  troops  were  corralled,  with 
forty  wounded  men,  and  sorely  pushed.  Gordon  was 
the  third  courier  sent  out  from  the  beleaguered  com 
mand,  and  Captain  Dodge  knew  from  this  that  the 
other  two  had  gone  on  their  errand  to  Merritt.  Gor 
don  himself  bore  a  message  to  General  Merritt,  but 
it  fortunately  fell  into  Dodge's  hands,  at  the  same 
time  assuring  all  that  the  two  other  messengers  had 
gone  on  safely.  After  the  receipt  of  this  advice 
Dodge  proceeded  eleven  miles,  it  then  being  dark, 
and  pitched  camp.  It  was  the  belief  that  they  were 
watched  by  Indians,  and  they  planned  to  go  into 
camp  as  if  intending  to  remain  all  night,  and  then 
during  the  darkness  to  steal  away  in  their  march  to 
Payne's  rescue.  Gordon  and  Mansfield  and  a  mail 
carrier  from  Middle  Park,  who  had  acted  as  guide, 
were  with  the  command  and  aided  in  directing  the 
ruse,  and  the  course  of  the  troops.  An  hour  after 
the  night  was  on  them,  camp  was  broke,  and  the  com 
pany,  at  first  as  quietly  as  possible,  but  soon  after 
with  abandon,  rode  as  hard  as  possible  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  Thornburgh  ambush.  The  company  rode 
all  night,  the  wagons  being  sent  to  Fortification  from 
Peck's,  and  just  before  daybreak,  about  half-past  four 
o'clock,  the  command  reached  within  hailing  distance 
of  the  besieged  troops.  The  ride  thus  accomplished 
was  one  of  the  bravest  on  record,  not  so  much  from 
the  daring  or  exposure,  as  from  its  rapidity  and  the 
fact  that  every  moment  an  ambush  was  looked  for. 
The  distance  from  the  spot  where  the  news  of  the 
Thornburgh  massacre  was  received  to  the  rifle  pits 
was  eighty  miles  by  the  trail  followed,  and  it  was 
accomplished  in  twenty-three  hours. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ON  TO  THE  AGENCY THE    INDIAN    FORTIFICATIONS    SUR 
RENDERED — MERRITT'S  MARCH  TO  POWELL  VALLEY — 

A  ROADSIDE  STREWN  WITH  THE  BODIES  OF  WHITE  MEN 
AND  PLUNDERED  TRAINS THE  REMAINS  OF  A  SOL 
DIER,  GORDON,  TWO  FREIGHTERS,  ISAAC  GOLDSTEIN, 
JULIUS  MOORE  AND  YOUNG  DRESSER  DISCOVERED — THE 

STORY  OF  THE  JEW THE  QUIET    DESOLATION    OF   THE 

AGENCY ASHES  AND  ASHES — DISCOVERY  OF  THE  BOD 
IES  OF  THE  AGENT  AND  EMPLOYES. 

Dispatches  sent  out  from  Rawlins  on  the  nth  of 
October,  based  upon  information  which  had  been 
brought  through  from  the  front,  stated  that,  having 
reached  Milk  River  and  relieved  Payne's  command, 
and  recovered  the  remains  of  Major  Thornburgh, 
General  Merritt  found  himself  unable  to  proceed  fur 
ther  south,  thus  increasing  tenfold  the  suspense  felt 
concerning  the  fate  of  the  people  at  the  agency.  It 
was  stated  that  the  Indians  still  occupied  their  for 
midable  position  on  the  bluffs  overlooking  the  road,  or 
trail,  to  the  agency,  and  it  was  known  that  they  had 
built  fortifications  and  were  prepared  to  resist  an  ad 
vance  while  taking  very  little  risk  upon  themselves. 
Having  no  artillery  General  Merritt  found  that  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  dislodge  the  enemy. 
They  occupied  a  position  covering  and  commanding 
the  only  road  passing  through  the  Milk  River  Canon. 
To  illustrate  the  advantage  of  position  occupied  by 
the  Indians,  it  is  stated  by  those  who  were  in  the 
siege  that  an  Indian,  from  his  position  in  the  bluffs, 
lying  behind  his  breastwork,  entirely  safe  and  yet 


THE    UTE    WAR.  49 

commanding  a  full  view  of  the  fortifications,  killed 
forty  horses  belonging  to  Payne's  and  Dodge's  com 
mands. 

Information  had  already  been  received,  through 
Indian  runners  employed  by  Chief  Ouray  at  Uncom- 
pahgre  agency,  that  the  Agent  and  the  employes  of 
the  agency  had  fallen  victims  to  the  relentless  knives 
and  bullets  of  the  so-called  noble  red  man.  It  was 
also  ascertained  from  the  same  source  that  the  women 
had  been  made  captives  by  the  savages,  and  while 
every  assurance  was  given  that  Mrs.  Meeker,  her 
daughter  Miss  Josephine,  Mrs.  Price  and  her  two  chil 
dren,  were  entirely  unharmed,  there  was  still  much 
room  to  doubt  these  stones,  and  every  reason  to  fear 
the  worst,  while  the  best  was  hoped  for.  The  report 
of  the  massacre  of  the  male  members  of  the  agency 
was  generally  credited,  but  nothing  certain  was 
known.  The  greatest  suspense  prevailed  upon  all 
hands ;  hence  the  disappointment  felt  when  the  news 
was  spread  broadcast  over  the  land  that  General  Mer- 
ritt  would  be  unable  to  proceed  to  the  agency  until 
Colonel  Gilbert,  then  at  Fortification  Creek  with  four 
hundred  soldiers,  should  arrive  to  reinforce  him. 
Twelve  days  had  already  elapsed  since  the  massacre, 
and  no  news,  except  the  unsatisfactory  reports  gath 
ered  from  Indian  runners,  had  been  received. 

But  while  the  world  at  large  was  discussing  this  sad 
situation  of  affairs,  General  Merritt  was  solving  the 
problem.  In  fact,  he  had  really  marched  on  to  White 
River,  and  had  become  fully  informed  of  the  condition 
matters  were  in,  before  the  news  of  the  resistance  of 
the  Indians  had  been  telegraphed  abroad.  The  In 
dians  remained  in  their  fortifications  until  the  runner 
left  carrying  the  news  above  referred  to,  but  deserted 
them  soon  afterwards,  on  the  loth.  It  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  they  employed  spies,  who  watched 
4. 


5<D  THE   UTE   WAR. 

the  progress  of  troops  from  the  north,  and  who  were 
thoroughly  informed  as  to  the  steps  taken  to  reinforce 
Merritt  and  supply  him  with  provisions  and  ammuni 
tion.  Seeing  and  appreciating  resistance  would  be  in 
vain,  the  hostiles  suddenly  withdrew,  leaving  the  field 
to  General  Merritt,  who  lost  no  time  in  taking  advan 
tage  of  the  situation  and  of  pushing  on  to  the  agency. 
He  accordingly  took  up  his  line  of  march  and  reached 
White  River  Agency,  or  the  site  of  the  agency,  on  the 
nth  of  October,  the  very  day  on  which  the  news  that 
he  would  not  be  able  to  proceed  had  been  given  out. 

The  story  which  his  march  revealed  is  a  sad  one. 
It  is  a  genuine  frontier  tale,  as  startling  and  pathetic 
as  any  of  the  works  of  fiction  to  which  American 
border  life  has  given  birth.  Sadder,  because  true. 
The  people  of  Colorado  have  tried  in  vain,  when 
perusing  the  blood-curdling  narratives  as  they  have 
appeared  from  day  to  day  in  the  newspapers,  to  imag 
ine  that  they  were  reading  stories  which  had  had  their 
origin  alone  in  the  hot-house  brain  of  some  sensational 
Indian  story-teller.  But  we  all  knew  "Father" 
Meeker,  as  the  good  old  Agent  was  called.  He  was 
universally  known,  and  his  family  and  the  employes  at 
the  agency  were  widely  known  of.  The  facts  were 
facts;  disagreeable  but  stubborn,  and  self-assertive. 
Hard  as  it  was,  we  were  forced  to  see  that  Colorado, 
a  new,  but  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  progress 
ive  States  of  the  Union,  had  sustained  an  Indian 
massacre  within  her  borders.  General  Merritt  had 
not  proceeded  far  on  his  march  before  he  discovered 
this  unpalatable  fact. 

When  Mr.  Meeker  went  to  the  agency  at  White 
River,  he  set  about  to  make  it  in  every  way  respect 
able,  and  being  a  man  determined  to  do  what  was 
right  by  the  Indians  and  the  government,  he  was  nat 
urally  anxious  to  surround  himself  with  people  in 


THE    UTE    WAR.  5  I 

whom  he  could  place  implicit  confidence.  He  accord 
ingly  selected  as  employes  at  the  agency  men,  most 
of  them  unmarried,  whom  he  had  known  at  Greeley, 
all  of  them  sober,  industrious  and  intelligent.  The 
white  people  at  the  agency  were : 

Agent  N.  C.  Meeker. 

Mrs.  N.  C.  Meeker. 

Miss  Josephine  Meeker. 

Frank  Dresser. 

Harry  Dresser. 

Ed.  L.  Mansfield. 

William  H.  Post. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price. 

May  Price,  aged  3  years. 

Johnnie  Price,  aged  18  months. 

Fred.  Shepard. 

George  Eaton. 

Young  Thomson. 

Of  the  males  of  this  party,  only  Mr.  Mansfield,  if 
we  except  Mrs.  Price's  little  boy,  survives.  He  owes 
his  life  to  the  fact  that  he  was  sent  out  with  messages 
just  previous  to  the  massacre. 

Signs  of  the  work  of  the  savages  met  the  command 
at  every  turn  after  they  left  the  scene  of  the  siege. 
They  left  behind  them  the  dead  bodies  of  comrades 
in  arms  to  find  the  corpses  of  the  unfortunate  men 
who  had  attempted  to  serve  the  government  in  a  dif 
ferent  capacity.  The  road  was  literally  strewn  with 
the  nude  and  decaying  remains  of  white  men,  whom 
chance  had  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  savages.  The 
carcasses  of  innumerable  horses  were  found,  and  the 
remains  of  one  soldier  passed  lying  by  the  roadside. 
The  poor  soldier  had  been  stripped  of  all  his  clothing. 
On  his  left  forearm  was  worked  in  India  ink  a  star  and 
shield,  and  on  the  right  forearm  the  initials  "A.  B." 
In  Fifteen- mile  Canon  the  ruins  of  several  small  trains 


52  THE   UTE    WAR. 

employed  in  forwarding  agency  goods,  notably  the 
train  of  which  George  Gordon,  of  Rawlins,  had  charge, 
were  passed.  His  loads  consisted  mainly  of  various 
sorts  of  agricultural  appliances,  hoes,  spades,  picks, 
shovels,  and  several  sorts  of  wire  fence.  To  the  fence 
the  Utes  are  reported  to  have  objected  strongly,  be 
cause  their  ponies  injured  their  feet  and  legs  on  coming 
into  contact  with  it,  and  they  warned  Mr.  Meeker  that 
he  would  not  be  permitted  to  put  up  any  more  of  it. 
At  this  point  Gordon,  the  freighter,  and  two  of  his 
train  employes  were  killed,  names  unknown,  and  the 
bodies  rest  in  one  grave,  marked  with  a  rough  board. 
A  few  miles  further  south  are  to  be  seen  the  charred 
remnants  of  a  thresher  and  separator,  and  piles  of 
broken  crockery  ware,  while  about  the  same  distance 
north  the  Utes  destroyed  a  wagon  loaded  with  coffee 
and  sugar,  and  at  two  other  points  are  to  be  seen  the 
remnants  of  burned  trains. 

The  soldiers  had  marched  but  a  few  miles  when  the 
advance  guard  came  upon  another  body,  the  remains 
of  a  white  man,  when,  as  the  story  was  told  to  a  cor 
respondent  of  the  Denver  Tribune,  who  was  on  the 
ground,  a  conversation,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
report,  occurred : 

"What  have  we  here  ?"  asked  one  soldier  of  a  com 
rade. 

"  It  looks  like  the  body  of  a  man  ;  and  it  is." 

"  It's  a  white  man,  too." 

"To  be  sure  it  is,  and  terribly  mangled  and  muti 
lated.  The  red  devils  have  got  in  their  work  on  some 
unfortunate  fellow. " 

Investigation  revealed  the  fact  that  the  body  was 

that  of  Isaac  Goldstein,  an  Israelite  who  was  called 

'  The  Jew, "   and  whose  proper  name  was  known  to 

but  very  few.     Fortunately  there  was  one  soldier  in 

the  command  to  whom  the  old  man  had  confided  the 


THE    UTE   WAR.  53 

secrets  of  his  heart,  and  among  others  his  great 
secret,  the  history  of  his  own  life,  which  though  con 
taining  material  for  a  volume  may  be  related  here  in 
a  few  words  and  without  marring  this  narrative, 
indeed  as  properly  a  part  of  it.  Old  Isaac  was  be 
tween  fifty  and  sixty  years  of  age  but,  he  looked 
to  be  seventy.  He  was  ever  sad  and  uncommunica 
tive,  seeming  to  bear  about  with  him  a  burden  which, 
while  it  weighed  him  down,  he  did  not  care  to  share 
with  others.  But  becoming  friendly  with  this  soldier, 
a  private  in  General  Merritt's  ranks,  he  gradually  con 
fided  the  story  of  his  romantic  career  to  him.  In 
his  early  manhood  Isaac  Goldstein  had  loved  a  fair 
daughter  of  Israel  as  he  loved  not  his  own  life.  They 
lived  in  an  eastern  city,  and  a  few  months  promised 
to  see  them  united  as  man  and  wife.  This  young  lady 
had  a  brother  who  had  gone  to  California  among  the 
first  who  were  attracted  to  the  gold  coast.  At  first  he 
prospered  and  was  cheerful  and  hopeful  in  his  letters. 
At  last  he  lost  his  health  and  was  low  spirited  and 
despondent.  His  sister,  whose  name  was  Rebecca, 
determined  at  once  to  go  {x>  her  brother  to  comfort, 
and,  if  possible,  cure  him.  She  had  an  opportunity 
to,  and  did,  join  the  unfortunate  party  in  its  overland 
trip  which  perished  at  Mountain  Meadow  at  the 
hands  of  the  Mormons  and  the  Indians  combined. 
Isaac  waited  a  long,  long  time  for  tidings  of  his  love. 
At  last  the  sad  news  of  the  massacre  came.  He  at 
once  came  west  to  investigate  the  matter,  and  has 
here  remained  since.  He  was  never  convinced  that 
his  Rebecca  had  been  killed,  but  believed  her  to  have 
been  made  a  captive  by  the  Indians.  He  determined 
to  seek  her  out,  and  for  many,  very  many,  long  years 
he  had  been  searching  and  searching  in  vain  for  her, 
going  from  tribe  to  tribe,  and  gaining  the  confidence 
of  the  Indians  that  he  might  the  more  successfully 


54  THE   UTE   WAR. 

prosecute  the  search.  That  the  Utes  now  of  Colorado 
took  part  in  the  Mountain  Meadow  affair  is  estab 
lished  almost  beyond  dispute.  And  thus,  according 
to  the  story  related  by  the  soldier  over  the  remains 
of  the  long,  grey  bearded  old  man  as  they  lay  on  the 
hard  sand-stones  of  the  bottom  of  Milk  River  Canon, 
came  "  The  Jew "  to  be  engaged  in  trading  with 
Douglass's  Indians. 

The  few  auditors  who  gathered  around  the  surviv 
ing  friend  of  the  old  Jew,  listened  with  interest  and 
attention  to  the  narrative.  It  was  received  with  a  sigh 
by  all  and  derision  by  none.  A  few  moments  more 
and  the  remains  of  "The  Wandering  Jew"  were  hid 
den  away  in  a  trench  dug  for  the  purpose,  and  covered 
with  earth,  and  the  following  legend  appears  on  the 
simple  stone  grave  mark  : 

ISAAC  GOLDSTEIN. 

Killed  by  Indians 

Sept.  29,  1879. 

About  two  hundred  yards  from  the  spot  where  the 
body  of  old  man  Goldstein  was  found,  the  body  of  his 
trading  companion,  Julius  Moore,  a  young  man  from 
Bainbridge,  Mass.,  was  also  discovered,  stripped  of  all 
clothing,  and  decaying,  on  the  mountain  side.  Both 
Goldstein  and  Moore  had  been  shot  through  the 
breast,  and  in  the  breast  of  each  there  were  two  bullet 
holes.  Moore's  body  was  badly  hacked  and  mutilated. 
It  also  was  buried. 

Passing  on  a  short  distance  the  command  came 
upon  a  coal  mine,  the  mouth  of  which  opened  upon 
the  canon.  Looking  into  this  they  discovered  another 
body,  which  from  papers  found  upon  the  person,  was 
judged  to  be  the  body  of  Harry  Dresser.  He  bore  a 
letter  from  Agent  Meeker,  which  read  as  follows : 

"  WHITE  RIVER,  September  29,  i  o'clock  P.  M. 
"  Major  Tkornburgh  : 

"  I  will  come  with  Chief  Douglass  and  another  chief 


THE   UTE   WAR.  55 

and  meet  you  to-morrow.  Everything  is  quiet  here, 
and  Douglass  is  flying  the  United  States  flag.  We 
have  been  on  guard  three  nights,  and  will  be  to-night 
— not  that  we  expect  any  trouble,  but  because  there 
might  be.  Did  you  have  any  trouble  coming  through 
the  canon  ? 

"N.  C.  MEEKER, 
"  United  States  Indian  Agent." 

The  bearer  of  this  message  had  crawled  a  short  dis 
tance  into  the  mouth  of  the  shaft,  where  he  was  found 
dead,  with  his  shirt  bundled  up  for  a  pillow  and  under 
his  head,  he  having  died  in  that  condition  after  having 
been  shot  in  the  head. 

The  soldiers  also  discovered  in  the  fortifications  of 
the  Indians,  the 'body  of  an  unknown  white  man  sit 
ting  in  a  squatting  posture,  with  his  gun  in  his  hands 
as  if  ready  to  shoot.  He  is  believed  to  have  been  a 
renegade  who  after  fighting  with  the  Indians,  had 
been  shot  by  them  out  of  pure  deviltry  on  the  eve  of 
their  departure  for  the  south. 

A  few  hours  march  carried  the  command  to  the 
site  of  the  agency.  Of  course  every  member  was  on 
the  tip-toe  of  expectation — all  anxious  to  discover 
what  was  to  be  found,  and  still  all  fearful  to  do  so, 
because  the  worst  was  feared.  The  view  which 
greeted  their  anxious  gaze  was  one  not  to  be  for 
gotten.  White  River  gurgled  quietly  on  and  seemed 
to  be  the  only  living  object  left.  There  was  not 
even  a  breeze  blowing  to  stir  the  tops  of  the  trees 
which  line  the  hill-sides  surrounding  the  beautiful 
Powell  Bottom  in  which  the  agency  was  located. 
Everything  was  dead.  The  quiet  of  the  grave 
reigned.  The  soldiers  felt  instinctively  before  reach 
ing  the  actual  location  of  the  agency  buildings  that 
they  were  in  the  region  of  the  lifeless. 

So  they  were.      The  story  of  the  finding  of  the 


56  THE    UTE    WAR. 

nude  and  mutilated  bodies  of  Father  Meeker  and 
those  who  had  cast  their  lot  with  him  among  savage 
men  and  women,  has  already  been  printed  in  almost 
every  newspaper  in  the  land,  and  the  sickening,  but 
necessary  details  dwelt  upon  until  the  reader  has  been 
almost  surfeited  with  the  narrative.  We  will  not 
linger  over  a  picture  so  sad  and  disagreeable — a  pic 
ture  of  the  utmost  loneliness,  desolation,  and  death — a 
picture  which  has  no  bright  side,  not  one  pleasant 
corner. 

All  the  buildings  except  one,  the  house  which  had 
been  built  for  Johnson,  had  been  burned  to  the 
ground.  The  Indians  had  taken  everything  except 
the  agency  flour  and  decamped.  The  women  and 
children  were  missing,  and  nothing  whatever  could  be 
found  to  indicate  what  had  become  of  them.  It  was 
evident  that  they  had  either  been  murdered  and 
buried  or  else  taken  away  as  hostages. 

The  Indian  Agent,  N.  C.  Meeker,  was  found  lying 
dead  about  two  hundred  yards  from  his  headquarters, 
with  one  side  of  his  head  mashed.  An  iron  chain, 
the  size  of  which  is  commonly  known  as  a  log  chain, 
was  found  encircled  about  his  neck,  and  a  piece  of  a 
flour  barrel  stave  had  been  driven  through  his  mouth. 
When  found  his  body  was  in  an  entire  state  of  nudity, 
and  was  lying  on  the  back.  A  bullet  hole  through 
the  head  indicated  plainly  the  cause  of  death.  The 
dead  body  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Post,  Father  Meeker's  assist 
ant,  was  found  between  the  buildings  and  the  river,  a 
bullet  hole  through  the  left  ear  and  one  under  the 
ear.  He,  as  well  as  Father  Meeker,  was  stripped  en 
tirely  naked.  Mr.  Price,  the  agency  blacksmith,  was 
found  dead  with  two  bullet  holes  through  his  left 
breast.  The  Indians  had  taken  all  his  clothing  and 
he  was  found  naked.  Thomson's  remains  were  found 
burned  to  a  crisp.  His  gun  was  found  by  his  side. 


THE    UTE    WAR.  57 

E.  W.  Eskridge  was  found  about  two  miles  north  of 
the  agency.  He  was  stripped  to  an  entire  state  of 
nudity,  and  had  his  head  mashed  in  as  if  he  had 
been  struck  over  the  head  with  some  heavy  appliance. 
Eaton  was  found  dead.  He  was  stripped  naked, 
and  had  a  bundle  of  paper  bags  in  his  arms.  His  face 
was  badly  eaten  by  wolves.  There  was  a  bullet  hole 
in  his  left  breast.  Frank  Dresser  (a  brother  to  the 
one  found  in  the  coal  mine,  as  was  at  first  supposed), 
was  found  badly  burned.  He  had,  without  doubt, 
been  killed  instantly,  as  a  bullet  had  passed  through 
his  heart. 

The  bodies  were  all  buried  and  proper  inscriptions 
placed  over  their  graves.  They  will  be  allowed 
to  remain  where  they  now  are  until  next  spring, 
when  they  will  be  removed  to  the  town  of  Greeley, 
where  their  friends  and  relatives  will  be  allowed  to 
drop  a  sympathetic  tear  upon  their  coffins,  and  their 
bones  be  permitted  to  rest  among  those  of  their  kin 
dred,  and  not  in  a  strange  and  savage  land. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  AGENCY   MASSACRE INCIDENTS    PRECEDING   AND 

LEADING  UP  TO  THE  BUTCHERY INDIAN  STEALING 

AND   BURNING  OF  TIMBER  FURTHER  QUOTATIONS 

FROM  COLONEL  STEELE PURCHASING  AMMUNITION 

JACK'S  STATEMENT  TO  A  TRADER THE  SUNDAY  WAR 

DANCE SCOUT  LOWRY'S  REPORT SECRET  PREPARA 
TIONS THE  FIRING  BEGUN FRANK  DRESSER'S  TEM 
PORARY  ESCAPE IMPRISONMENT  OF  THE  WOMEN — 

THEIR  FLIGHT THEIR  CAPTURE — DRESSER'S  FATE 

MRS.  MEEKER'S  LAST  LOOK  AT  HER  HUSBAND. 

This  is  the  bloody  chapter  of  our  little  history — 
the  story  of  the  butchery  of  the  agency  people  by  the 
Indians,  the  one  great  crime  of  the  record.  We  have 
already  seen  that  the  savages  had  become  greatly  dis 
satisfied  with  Agent  Meeker  and  anxious  for  a  change. 
Their  savage  nature  had  not  accepted  with  good  grace 
the  gentle  manners  and  other  reforms  which  he  made 
an  effort  to  introduce.  The  Agent  had  commenced 
early  in  the  spring  to  prepare  for  a  good  crop  of 
wheat  and  corn.  He  had  planted  potatoes  and  onions 
and  beans;  had  fenced  the  ground,  dug  wells  and 
built  irrigating  ditches.  But  the  Indians  made  serious 
complaint  at  these  innovations,  and  did  not  hesitate  to 
express  their  displeasure,  not  more  in  word  than  in 
deed.  They  made  frequent  protests  to  Mr.  Meeker, 
and  at  last  sent  a  delegation  of  four,  which  was  headed 
by  Captain  Jack,  one  of  the  White  River  chiefs,  to 
Denver,  to  lay  the  complaints  of  the  Indians  before 
His  Excellency  Governor  Pitkin.  While  in  this  city 
these  commissioners  from  the  Indian  nation  made  no 


THE    UTE    WAR.  59 

threats,  but  many  complaints,  bewailing  bitterly  that 
the  Agent  should  attempt  to  plow  the  ground  and  his 
daughter  to  teach  the  young  Indians  the  English  lan 
guage  and  the  ways  of  the  white  man.  They  gave 
the  Governor  to  understand  that  they  thought  their 
civilization  much  superior  to  that  of  the  white  man,  and 
said  that  they  much  preferred  that  the  Agent  would 
give  them  their  food  and  leave  them  to  live  their  own 
lives. 

During  the  entire  summer,  complaints  were, being 
made  of  the  hostile  demonstrations  of  the  Utes  along 
the  line  of  their  reservation,  north,  east  and  south,  and 
constant  fears  were  entertained  of  an  outbreak  and 
massacre,  at  almost  any  small  mining  settlement  in 
North  Park,  or  along  the  Grand,  Eagle,  Gunnison, 
Dolores  or  Animas,  while  apprehensions  were  also 
felt  for  the  fate  of  the  stock  raisers  along  the  Bear 
and  Snake  rivers  and  in  Middle  Park.  Two  miners 
who  ventured  across  the  Indian  line  on  the  Blue  Riv 
er  were  shot  down  like  dogs  and  other  parties  were 
fired  upon  for  crossing  over,  and  this  at  a  time  when 
the  Indians  were  coming  and  going,  hunting  and 
camping  and  stealing,  as  suited  them,  on  the  white 
man's  side  of  the  line.  During  almost  the  entire 
month  of  July,  the  country  was  on  fire.  From  the 
Wyoming  line  to  the  New  Mexico  boundary,  the 
great  Continental  Divide  was  a  blaze  of  fire.  Thous 
ands  of  acres  were  burned  over,  and  millions  of  dollars 
worth  of  timber  on  the  reservation  and  off  of  it  were 
destroyed,  and  game  of  all  kinds  driven  out  and 
burned.  This  the  savages  were  not  loth  to  acknowl 
edge  they  did  to  spite  the  whites. 

In  this  connection  we  cannot  do  better  than  to  quote 
again  from  the  account  of  Colonel  Steele's  visit  to  the 
agency,  written  since  the  horrible  scenes  of  September 
29th.  Colonel  Steele  says  : 


6O  THE   UTE   WAR. 

"Early  in  July  last  I  was  called  to  Rawlins,  Colo 
rado,  to  look  after  the  mail  route  from  that  point  to 
White  River  Agency.  I  remained  at  Dixon,  on  Snake 
River,  several  days.  While  there,  Indians  belonging 
to  the  Ute  chief,  Colorow's  outfit,  frequently  came  to 
Dixon  to  trade  buckskin  and  furs  for  Winchester  rifles, 
ammunition  and  other  supplies.  I  learned  that  they 
were  camped  on  Snake  River,  Fortification  Creek  and 
Bear  River,  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  miles  from  their 
reservation.  The'Indians  seemed  to  be  quiet,  but  set 
tlers  complained  that  the  Indians  were  burning  the 
grass  and  timber,  and  occasionally  killing  their  cattle 
and  doing  much  damage  to  the  country.  I  also  heard 
much  complaint  from  the  mining  district  near  Hahn's 
Peak  and  Middle  Park ;  that  the  Indians  were  burn 
ing  the  timber,  and  had  burned  the  houses  of  several 
settlers  and  killed  one  man.  Smoke  was  at  that  time 
plainly  visible  from  large  fires  on  the  head-waters  of 
the  Snake  and  Bear  rivers.  On  completing  my  busi 
ness  on  the  mail  route,  I  returned  to  Washington. 
The  first  week  in  September  I  was  called,  (by  distur 
bances  on  this  mail  route)  to  visit  it  again.  Arriving 
at  Rawlins,  Mr.  Bennett,  the  sub-contractor  for  the 
route  told  me  that  he  had  attempted  to  establish  his 
line  of  mail  carriers  on  the  route;  that  he  had  gone  as 
far  south  as  Fortification  Creek,  where  he  was  met  by 
Utes  belonging  to  Colorow  and  Ute  Jack's  band ;  that 
three  Indians  stopped  him  and  told  him  that  he  must 
go  back;  that  he  parleyed  with  them  and  finally  went 
on  as  far  as  Bear  River,  where  he  was  met  by  more 
Indians  of  the  same  tribe,  and  though  he  fully  explain 
ed  his  business  to  them,  he  was  so  violently  threaten 
ed  that  he  returned  to  Rawling  without  establishing 
the  mail  route.  Bennett  has  freighted  Indian  supplies 
to  the  Ute  reservation  for  several  years,  and  knows 
many  of  the  Indians.  He  was  accompanied  by  a  man 


THE    UTE    WAR.  6 1 

who  has  lived  among  the  Utes  for  years,  and  with 
whom  they  have  heretofore  been  friendly.  Both  ad 
vised  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  attempt  to  go  to 
the  agency.  On  the  night  of  September  4th,  I 
arrived  at  Snake  River,  and  on  the  5th  went  to  Bear 
River,  meeting  no  Indians  on  the  way,  but  finding  the 
grass  and  timber  destroyed  by  fire  all  the  way  along 
the  route.  I  remained  at  Bear  River  several  days  en- 
endeavoring  to  find  parties  to  carry  the  mail  to  the 
agency.  Many  -of  the  settlers  were  alarmed  by  the 
hostile  actions  of  the  Utes.  Others  anticipated  no 
trouble,  but  all  complained  of  the  burning  of  the  grass 
and  timber.  On  the  morning  of  September  loth,  I 
started  with  two  mail  carriers  for  the  agency.  We 
rode  over  the  route  followed  by  Major  Thornburgh's 
command,  and  at  noon  rested  at  the  mouth  of  the 
canon  where  the  battle  has  since  taken  place.  Here 
at  a  tent  occupied  by  an  Indian  trader,  and  two  miles 
from  the  reservation,  we  met  a  number  of  Utes,  one 
of  whom  asked  where  I  was  going.  I  told  him  to  the 
agency.  After  a  short  talk  with  other  Indians,  he 
told  me  we  must  go  back.  I  mac^e  no  reply,  but 
leaving  one  of  the  carriers  at  the  tent,  I  proceeded  up 
the  canon  in  which  the  Indians  laid  the  ambuscade 
for  Major  Thornburgh's  command,  toward  the  agency. 
The  Indians  followed  us  to  the  agency.  I  afterwards 
learned  that  they  belonged  to  Ute  Jack's  party. 

"  On  the  return  trip  to  Bear  River  I  met  many 
Indians  going  to  the  agency  for  the  issue  of  rations. 
Several  of  the  bucks  hailed  me,  but  I  hadn't  time  to 
stop.  At  the  trader's  in  the  canon  I  found  several 
Indians  purchasing  supplies.  At  the  crossing  of 
Howard's  Fork,  thirty  miles  from  the  agency,  I  met 
three  Indians,  two  of  whom  I  saw  at  the  agency  the 
night  before.  They  stopped  me  and  inquired  for 
ammunition  for  Winchester  rifles.  I  replied,  'No 


62  THE    UTE   WAR. 

sabe. '  After  detaining  me  for  nearly  one-half  hour  I 
persuaded  them  to  let  me  pass,  and  reached  Rawlins 
without  further  incident  worthy  of  mention." 

Having  written  this  account  of  his  experiences, 
Colonel  Steele  adds  an  opinion  or  two  of  his  own, 
which  are  all  the  more  forcible  for  coming  from  a 
government  employe : 

"  Eastern  papers,  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  and 
others  are  seeking  some  provocation  for  this  out 
break.  It  was  not  the  encroachment  of  miners,  for 
there  are  none  nearer  than  Hahn's  Peak,  one  hundred 
miles  away.  It  was  not  settlers,  for  there  are  none 
nearer  than  Bear  River,  fifty  miles  from  the  agency ; 
they  are  few  and  scattered,  and  their  only  safety  for 
life  and  property  has  been  in  retaining  the  friendship 
of  the  Utes.  On  the  other  hand,  these  Utes  have 
since  early  summer  been  off  their  reservation  from  fifty 
to  two  hundred  miles.  They  have  destroyed  all  the  tim 
ber  and  grass  they  could,  have  destroyed  the  property 
of  miners  near  Hahn's  Peak,  and  burned  the  houses 
and  hay  of  settlers  on  Bear  River ;  they  have  killed 
cattle  belonging  to  settlers  on  Bear  and  Snake  Rivers, 
and  terrorized  that  whole  region.  They  complained 
only  that  Father  Meeker  urged  on  them  the  benefits 
of  civilization.  I  knew  that  these  Indians  meant  war. 
Early  in  the  summer  they  occupied  the  territory  over 
which  troops  must  pass  to  reach  them.  Slowly  they 
retreated  toward  the  agency,  burning  the  grass  to 
render  it  difficult  for  cavalry  to  operate  against  them. 
They  purchased  arms  and  ammunition  of  the  most 
improved  pattern  and  in  large  quantities.  Within  six 
weeks  of  the  outbreak  one  trader  sold  them  three 
cases  of  Winchesters  and  a  large  amount  of  ammuni 
tion,  and  the  last  Utes  I  met  inquired  of  me  for  more. 
They  gathered  disaffected  bucks  from  the  Uncom- 
pahgre  and  Uinta  agencies,  and  got  mad  because  the 


THE    UTE    WAR.  63 

agent  at  White  River  would  not  feed  them.  When 
everything  was  ready  they  assaulted  Agent  Meeker 
and  shot  at  his  employes  to  provoke  an  attack  by  the 
troops,  and  when  the  troops  approached,  with  peace 
ful  intent,  to  adjust  the  difficulty  and  right  the  wrongs 
of  all  parties,  they  laid  an  ambuscade  and  prepared  to 
annihilate  the  whole  command." 

The  trade  in  guns  and  ammunition  with  the  Indians 
was  unusually  active  during  the  entire  summer.  The 
post  office  for  the  Snake  River  settlement  is  at  Dixon, 
about  seventy  miles  south  of  Rawlins,  and  here  there 
is  a  general  Indian  trader  named  Perkins,  who  is 
reported  to  have  done  more  trading  with  the  Utes 
this  season  than  in  five  years  before,  and  it  is  natural 
to  suppose  from  recent  accounts,  that  the  bulk  of  it 
has  been  in  war  material.  It  is  also  said  that  the 
trader  on  Bear  River  (Peck)  and  Taylor,  on  Milk 
Creek,  have  had  similar  experience  in  this  business 
with  the  Utes.  Just  the  day  before  the  Thornburgh 
fight  it  is  reported  that  a  party  of  Utes,  headed  by 
Jack,  visited  one  of  these  traders  and  possessed  them 
selves  forcibly  of  a  case  of  Winchester  cartridges, 
saying  they  expected  to  fight  the  white  soldiers  on 
Monday. 

All  of  this  goes  to  prove  that  the  White  River 
Utes  were  expecting  and  preparing  during  the  entire 
summer  to  fight,  and  had  perhaps,  long  before  the 
massacre  occurred,  determined  to  kill  the  Agent. 
That  they  were  no  longer  in  doubt  as  to  the  course 
they  meant  to  pursue  after  they  ascertained  that  the 
soldiers  were  coming  in,  we  are  forced  to  believe. 
The  assertion  of  Jack  quoted  above  is  proof  sufficient 
of  this.  The  note  found  on  the  body  of  young 
Dresser,  whose  body  was  found  in  the  coal  shaft  as 
above  described,  is  another  indication  of  this  fact, 
though  we  are  told  that  Douglass  was  flying  the 


64  THE    UTE    WAR. 

American  colors.  Mr.  Lowry,  the  Snake  River  set 
tler,  who  was  among  the  killed  in  the  Thornburgh 
disaster,  on  Sunday  previous  to  the  fight  made  his 
way  to  the  agency,  found  the  Indians  in  their  war 
paint,  dancing  and  about  ready  to  massacre  Meeker 
and  family  and  the  other  whites  there.  He  succeeded 
in  arguing  them  out  of  their  intention,  however,  by 
assuring  them  that  there  would  be  no  trouble,  and, 
having  effected  this,  started  back  with  difficulty  to 
Thornburgh's  command,  reporting  to  the  Major 
that  if  he  pursued  his  march  towards  the  agency  the 
Utes  would  doubtless  carry  out  their  original  inten 
tions  and  massacre  the  agency  people.  The  Major, 
however,  said  he  must  obey  orders,  and  his  command 
was  headed  toward  the  agency  when  the  bloody  events 
transpired  of  which  the  reader  has  already  had  aft 
account. 

On  that  same  day  Miss  Josephine  Meeker  wrote  a 
letter  to  her  sister  at  Greeley  saying  that  all  was  quiet 
and  peaceable  again.  Johnson  had  apologized  to  her 
father  for  his  conduct,  and  expressed  himself  sorry  for 
what  had  happened.  She  felt  quite  as  safe  there  as  in 
Greeley.  The  Indians  had  removed  their  women  and 
children,  and  instead  of  there  bfcing  one  hundred  and 
fifty  tepees  in  the  vicinity  now  there  were  only  four. 
The  military  were  expected  every  day,  and  Mr. 
Meeker  had  sent  two  Indians  and  a  white  man  to 
meet  them,  but  the  Indians  soon  returned  much 
alarmed.  Mr.  Dresser  of  Greeley  also  received  a 
letter  of  the  same  date  from  his  son  Frank,  who 
expressed  himself  similarly  as  to  the  safety  of  all  at 
the  agency.  He  said  the  only  fear  they  had  was  that 
some  of  the  Indians  might  set  fire  to  some  of  the  hay 
belonging  to  the  agency,  and  to  guard  against  this 
some  of  the  boys  mounted  guard  at  night,  otherwise 
they  slept  as  soundly  as  in  Greeley. 


THE    UTE    WAR.  65 

Before  these  letters  had  passed  out  of  the  Indian 
reservation,  the  massacre  of  the  Agent  and  employes 
and  the  burning  of  the  buildings  had  been  consum 
mated.  The  Indians  had  been  preparing,  but  secretly, 
for  the  worst.  The  removal  of  the  squaws,  which 
Miss  Meeker  seems  to  have  regarded  rather  favorably 
than  otherwise,  was  a  very  bad  omen.  The  fate  of 
the  agency  people  was  sealed  then.  The  savages 
had  already  doubtless  determined  in  council  of  war 
what  plan  to  pursue,  and  could  have  foretold  to  an 
hour  the  fate  of  the  few  whites  among  them. 


N.    C.    MEEKER. 


The  dreadful  day  gradually  approached.  Thorn- 
burgh  was  expected  to  reach  the  agency  on  Tuesday 
at  noon  with  the  troops.  The  Indians,  who  at  first 
were  angry,  brightened  up,  evidently  at  the  thought 
of  getting  Thornburgh  to  Milk  River  Canon.  Doug 
lass  sent  two  Indians,  with  one  white  man,  Mr.  Esk- 
ridge,  to  meet  Thornburgh. 

5 


66  THE    UTE    WAR. 

On  the  morning  of  the  massacre  Douglass  came  to 
the  agency  and  spoke  of  soldiers  coming.  Mr. 
Meeker  said : 

"  Let  them  crime.  They  will  not  hurt  any  one. 
But  we  will  send  for  all  the  chiefs  and  head  captains 
and  hear  their  complaints  and  talk  the  matter  over. " 

Douglass  did'  not  say  much  and  went  away.  The 
Indian  Paveetz,  husband  of  the  notorious  Jane,  asked 
Mrs.  Meeker  on  Saturday,  Sunday  and  Monday  if  she 
was  afraid.  She  said,  "  No, "  and  each  time  he 
received  the  reply  with  a  "knowing"  look  which  it 
has  since  been  very  easy  to  translate  into  a  warning 
or  hint  of  the  fate  of  the  agency  people. 

Secretly  the  Utes  were  preparing  for  the  massacre. 
Just  before  Eskridge  left  with  the  Indians,  a  runner 
was  seen  rushing  up  to  the  tent  of  Douglass  with,  as 
was  afterwards  learned,  news  of  the  soldiers  fighting. 
Half  an  hour  later  twenty  armed  Indians  came  to  the 
agency  from  the  camp  of  Douglass  and  began  firing. 
They  seem  to  have  marched  quietly  down  from  their 
camp  to  the  agency  quarters  and  without  any  extra 
"  ado  "  began  to  deliberately  shoot  down  the  employes 
wherever  found.  Mr.  Eskridge,  who  had  been  sent 
out  with  a  second  message  to  Thornburgh,  was  killed 
two  miles  from  the  agency,  and  the  others  were  killed 
about  the  buildings,  with  the  exception  of  Frank 
Dresser. 

The  firing  began  about  half-past  one,  immediately 
after  dinner  at  the  agency.  Douglass,  the  chief  to 
whom  so  many  good  qualities  were  attributed  before 
the  outbreak  and  who  has  since  proven  himself  to  be 
one  of  the  most  cruel  and  heartless,  as  well  as  one  of 
the  most  hypocritical  of  the  savages,  had  eaten  din 
ner  with  the  employes.  After  the  meal  had  been  con 
cluded  he  staid  about  the  table,  joking  in  a  lively 
manner  with  Mrs.  Meeker,  Miss  Josephine  and  Mrs. 


THE    UTE    WAR.  6/ 

Price.  He  drank  a  little  coffee  and  ate  some  bread 
and  butter.  Suddenly  he  turned  around  and  went 
out  doors.  Mr.  Price  and  Mr.  Thompson  and  Frank 
Dresser  were  working  on  the  building  a  few  steps 
from  the  house  and  the  chief  joined  them.  He  seemed 
to  be  in  very  good  spirits  and  was  joking  with  the 
men. 

A  few  minutes  afterwards  the  firing  began.  Mrs. 
Meeker  and  her  daughter  were  washing  dishes  in  one 
of  the  houses  and  Mrs.  Price  was  washing  some 
clothing  at  the  door  when  the  first  report  was  heard. 
This  was  quickly  followed  by  another.  There  came 
a  volley  of  firearms — a  succession  of  sharp  explosions. 
It  was  startling  and  all  knew  what  was  coming.  Miss 
Josephine  and  her  mother  looked  into  each  other's 
faces.  Mrs.  Price,  who  was  washing  clothes  at  the 
door,  rushed  in,  exclaiming: 

"My  God!  the  Indians  are  killing  everybody;  what 
shall  we  do  ?  " 

Josephine  said,  "  Keep  all  together,"  and  the  girl 
was  as  cool  as  if  she  were  receiving  callers  in  a  parlor. 

Just  then  Frank  Dresser,  an  employe,  staggered  in, 
shot  through  the  leg.  Miss  Josie  said : 

"  Here,  Frank,  is  Mr.  Price's  gun." 

It  lay  on  the  bed.  He  took  it,  and  just  as  they  were 
fleeing  out  by  the  door  the  windows  were  smashed  in 
and  half  a  dozen  shots  were  fired  into  the  room. 
Frank  fired  and  killed  Chief  Johnson's  brother  and 
wounded  another  Indian  who  was  passing  him. 

Then  began  the  great  suspense.  The  windows 
were  shot  in  and  the  bullets  were  flying  everywhere. 
The  first  move  of  the  poor  women  was  to  get  under 
the  bed  in  Josephine's  room,  to  avoid  the  bullets, 
which  were  whizzing  over  their  heads.  Josephine- 
had  the  key  of  the  milk  house  and  proposed  to  go 
there.  The  bullets  were  flying  like  hailstones,  but 


68  THE    UTE    WAR. 

the  women  and  children  and  Dresser  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  place  suggested,  and  they  locked  them 
selves  into  the  house,  which  had  double  walls  filled 
in  with  adobe  clay,  and  there  was  only  one  little  win 
dow.  They  stayed  there  all  the  afternoon,  and  heard 
no  sounds  but  the  crash  of  the  guns.  They  knew  all 
the  men  were  being  killed,  and  expected  that  the 
Indians  would  finish  the  day  with  the  butchery  of  the 
women.  Firing  went  on  for  several  hours  at  intervals. 
There  was  no  shouting,  no  noise,  but  frequent  firing. 
While  waiting  in  this  horrid  suspense  Dresser  said  he 
had  gone  to  the  employes  rooms,  where  all  guns  were 
stored,  but  found  them  stolen.  In  the  intervals  of 
shooting  Dresser  would  exclaim : 

"  There  goes  one  of  the  government  guns." 

Their  sound  was  quite  different  from  that  of  the 
Indians. 

The  party  stayed  in  the  milk  room  until  it  began 
to  fill  with  smoke.  While  in  the  building  they 
barely  whispered,  and  tried  to  keep  Mrs.  Price's  babies 
still.  As  the  fire  was  increasing  they  left  the  milk 
house  cautiously,  and  Josephine  reconnoitred  the 
enemy. 

"  It's  a  good  time  to  escape,"  said  she.  "  The 
Indians  are  busy  stealing  agency  goods." 

The  shouting  had  ceased  when,  at  about  five  o'clock 
they  began  to  see  the  smoke  curling  through  the 
cracks.  Mrs.  Price  said  : 

"  Josie,  we  have  got  to  get  cut  of  here ;  you  take 
May,  I'll  take  baby,  and  we  will  try  to  escape  in  the 
sage  brush  across  the  road." 

Miss  Josie  took  May's  hand  and  they  went  out,  but 
first  went  into  Mr.  Meeker's  room.  It  was  not  dis 
turbed.  The  doors  were  open  and  the  books  were 
lying  on  the  stand  as  he  had  left  them.  "  Pepy's 
Diary  "  lay  open  on  the  table.  It  was  at  first  thought 


THE    UTE    WAR.  69 

by  the  party  that  it  would  be  well  to  secrete  them 
selves  in  Mr.  Meeker's  room,  but  they  ultimately  de 
cided  to  try  to  escape  then,  as  the  Indians  were  busily 
engaged  in  stealing  annuity  goods,  and  as  there  was 
also  a  strong  probability  of  their  burning  the  house. 
They  had  broken  open  the  warehouse  and  were  pack 
ing  blankets  on  their  ponies.  They  started  for  the 
garden,  when  Frank  said: 

"  Perhaps  we  can  hide  in  the  sage  brush  and 
escape." 

He  ran  through  the  gate  in  the  field  with  Mr. 
Price's  rifle.  He  was  near  the  field  when  last  seen. 
Mrs.  Meeker  and  Mrs.  Price  went  inside  the  field 
through  the  wire  fence.  The  Utes  were  so  busy  steal 
ing  annuity  goods  that  they  did  not  see  the  escaping 
party  at  first.  About  thirty  of  them,  loaded  with 
blankets,  were  carrying  them  toward  Douglass's  camp, 
near  the  river.  The  fugitives  had  gone  one  hundred 
yards  when  the  Utes  saw  them.  They  threw  down 
the  blankets  and  went  running  toward  them,  firing  as 
they  went.  Bullets  were  as  thick  as  grasshoppers 
around  the  fugitive  women  and  poor  little  babies. 
They  tried  to  shoot  Frank  Dresser,  who  had  almost 
reached  the  sage  brush,  but  merely  shot  to  frighten 
the  women.  However,  Mrs.  Meeker  was  hit  by  a 
bullet,  which  went  through  her  underclothing  and 
made  a  flesh  wound  three  inches  long. 

As  the  Indians  came  nearer  they  shouted : 

"We  no  shoot!  Come  to  us!  No  shoot;  white 
woman  good  squaw  ;  come!" 

Mrs.  Meeker  had  fallen  to  the  ground  an  easy  prey. 
She  was  taken  to  Douglass's  tepee,  while  Mrs.  Price 
was  taken  possession  of  by  an  Uncompahgre  Ute. 
The  women  and  children  were  dragged  across  the 
irrigating  canal  and  were  wet  to  the  skin  when  they 
reached  the  Indian  camp.  They  were  quite  rough  in 


/O  THE    UTE    WAR. 

handling  their  captives,  but  they  said  they  would  not 
hurt  them. 

As  for  the  butchery  of  the  employes,  no  white  per- 
Son  survived  who  witnessed  it.  The  women  and 
children  did  not  leave  their  hiding  place  until  late, 
and  when  they  did  come  out  the  cruel  work  had  been 
accomplished.  All  was  over.  Mrs.  Meeker  in  pass 
ing  across  the  grounds  passed  the  prostrate  form  of 
her  husband,  stripped  with  the  exception  of  his  shirt. 
She  stooped  to  kiss  for  the  last  time  the  cold,  blue 
lips,  which  had  spoken  so  many  kind  and  loving 
words  to  her  in  their  married  life  of  thirty-five  years, 
but  she  was  ordered  by  the  brave  Douglass  to  pass 
on.  This  one  last  simple  tribute  was  denied  hen 
The  Indians  'say  that  most  of  the  men  took  refuge  in 
a  house,  and  that  they  fired  it  and  ran  the  white  men 
out,  killing  them  as  they  came.  Their  bodies  were 
doubtless  left  where  they  fell,  and  we  tell  in  the  pre 
ceding  chapter  of  how  they  were  discovered  by  the 
soldiers. 

There  is  one  error  which  may  as  well  be  ex 
plained  here.  It  was  stated  that  Harry  Dresser's 
body  was  found  in  a  coal  bank  about  twelve  miles 
from  the  agency ;  this  proves  to  have  been  a  mistake. 
Josephine  Meeker  says  that  Harry  was  to  have  taken 
a  dispatch  from  her  father  to  Thornburgh ;  he  was 
prevented  from  going,  and  when  the  shooting  began 
was  among  the  first  victims.  His  brother  Frank, 
after  being  wounded  in  the  leg,  managed  to  reach  the 
house,  and  Josie  gave  him  Price's  gun.  They  all  took 
refuge  in  the  milk  house  and  remained  there  several 
hours — until  the  smoke  drove  them  to  seek  shelter 
elsewhere.  In  the  milk  house  Frank  said  Harry  and 
Eaton  were  the  first  shot.  Frank  and  the  women  ran 
for  the  sage  brush,  he  being  a  little  ahead.  The 
Indians,  as  soon  as  they  saw  them,  threw  down  the 


THE    UTE    WAR.  /I 

agency  goods  they  were  stealing  from  the  warehouses, 
and  started  for  the  fugitives,  shooting  as  they  ran,  but 
they  told  the  women  to  stop,  they  would  not  shoot 
them.  Frank  reached  the  sage  brush.  At  this  time 
he  had  on  neither  coat  nor  vest,  and  no  shoes,  conse 
quently  could  not  travel  over  the  cactus.  He  had 
said  that  he  should  try  to  reach  the  troops  that  night, 
and  must  have  gone  back  to  the  agency  after  dark 
and  taken  off  the  coat,  vest  and  shoes  from  his 
brother's  body,  and  then  tried  to  reach  the  soldiers ; 
he  got  as  far  as  the  coal  bank,  where  he  most  likely 
encountered  Indians  and  was  again  wounded  by  them 
and  crawled  into  the  shaft  to  die. 

The  bodies  of  the  eight  unfortunate  men  repose  in 
a  beautiful  spot  in  Powell  Bottom,  underneath  a  clump 
of  cottonwood  trees  and  near  the  crystal  waters  of 
White  River.  The  pines  on  the  distant  hillsides  sing 
the  requiem  to  the  dead,  when  stirred  by  the  soft 
winds  of  the  valley.  All  is  again  peaceful  and  calm 
on  White  River.  There  are  no  Indians  there,  and 
nothing  but  dull,  dead  stones  rise  to  assert  the  pres 
ence  of  the  bones  of  the  martyred  men.  They  were 
honest,  conscientious  men,  who  died  in  the  interest  of 
mankind.  They  will  live  in  the  memory  of  their 
fellow-mortals. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  SOLDIERS  IN  CAMP  AT  WHITE  RIVER — WAITING    FOR 

ORDERS HOW     THE    TROOPS     FARED AN    ADVANCE 

TO  THE  SOUTH RECALLED    FROM    WASHINGTON    AND 

A   TRUCE    ORDERED THE    HUNTING    PARTY DEATH 

OF    LIEUTENANT    WEIR    AND    SCOUT     HUMME  —  MORE 
TROPHIES  FOR  THE  UTES. 

Merritt  and  his  little  army,  now  swelled  by  the 
arrival  of  Colonel  Gilbert's  detachment,  started  for 
the  south  on  the  nth  and  went  into  camp  three  miles 
above  the  agency,  headquarters  being  established  and 
a  supply  dep'ot  located  directly  at  the  agency.  The 
strongest  company  in  the  gallant  regiment  hardly 
numbered  forty-five  men,  the  smallest  numbering 
twenty-seven  men.  As  soon  as  the  camp  was  located 
and  the  troops  had  commenced  to  recover  from  their 
hard  march  and  exposure,  scouting  parties  were  sent 
out  for  a  radius  of  fifty  miles  to  ascertain,  if  possible, 
the  camp  of  the  Indians,  but  in  no  case  were  any 
"signs"  discovered.  As  Merritt's  orders  had  been 
simply  to  go  to  the  agency,  the  commander  made  no 
further  advance  than  an  occasional  reconnoissance  in 
the  direction  the  Indians  were  supposed  to  have 
retreated.  In  the  meantime,  while  waiting  for  dis 
patches  as  to  what  course  to  pursue,  reinforcements 
were  gathering  at  Rawlins  to  be  hastened  on  to  Mer 
ritt's  support.  Nine  companies,  under  command  of 
Colonel  Brackett,  had  reached  Rawlins,  waiting  orders 
to  go  forward.  It  was  generally  supposed  that  the 
hostiles  had  divided  into  small  bands  and  scattered  to 
different  agencies,  while  the  fate  of  the  white  women 


THE    UTE    WAR.  73 

was,  of  course,  still  in  doubt.  No  orders,  except  to 
restrain  the  Indians  from  violence  and  keep  them  at 
the  agency,  having  arrived,  General  Merritt,  on  the 
morning  of  the  I5th,  at  the  head  of  seven  hundred 
men,  with  ten  days'  supplies  and  in  light  marching 
order,  started  south,  leaving  Colonel  Clifford  with  two 
hundred  and  forty  men  to  guard  the  agency.  The 
objective  point  was  the  camp  of  the  hostiles  who  held 
the  agency  women,  which  by  this  time,  it  was  con 
cluded,  was  located  on  Grand  or  Blue  rivers.  The 
troops  had  only  been  on  the  march  six  hours  when 
dispatches  arrived  at  the  agency  for  the  commander. 
A  courier  at  once  started  in  pursuit  of  the  army 
moving  south,  as  the  dispatches  were  of  importance. 
They  were  orders  suspending  operations  against  the 
Indians  and  directing  the  withdrawal  ofvthe  troops 
under  Merrit  to  their  proper  stations  in  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Platte,  leaving  sufficient  number  of  men 
at  the  agency  to  guard  government  property.  Gen 
eral  Merritt  was  to  remain  in  command  and  await 
further  orders,  either  at  White  or  Bear  River,  as 
negotiations  for  peace  were  in  progress,  and  it  was 
understood  that  the  hostiles  would  agree  to  surrender 
the  captives  and  be  made  to  deliver  those  warriors 
who  had  led  the  outbreak. 

There  was  general  regret  felt  all  over  the  country 
and  especially  in  military  circles,  that  the  outbreak 
was  likely  to  be  concluded  without  the  troops  chas 
tising  the  red  devils,  and  a  universal  feeling  of  disgust 
at  the  disgraceful  termination  of  the  campaign.  If 
the  Utes  escaped  deserved  punishment  this  time  it 
was  felt  that  frontier  settlers  had  no  guaranty  what 
ever  that  the  Indians  would  not  re-enact  the  same 
terrible  atrocities  at  will. 

And  so  the  soldiers  went  unwillingly  into  quarters, 
returning  to  camp  on  White  River  on  the  i/th.  The 


74  THE  UTE  WAR. 

weather  was  very  pleasant.  The  troops  had  a  nice 
camp  and  very  little  sickness  among  the  men.  There 
were  immense  herds  of  cattle  on  the  surrounding  hills 
and  the  command  was  in  daily  supply  of  fresh  beef. 
The  flour  found  on  the  storehouse  floor  at  the  agency 
was  issued  to  the  troops. 

It  was  believed  everywhere  at  this  time  that  no 
further  demonstration  would  be  made  in  the  north 
and  eyes  were  turned  to  the  military  in  the  south  and 
the  peace  commission.  But  on  the  2ist  two  more 
gallant  white  men  were  sacrificed  on  the  peace  policy 
altar.  The  circumstances  of  the  death  of  these  two 
men  were  as  follows: 

It  must  be  recollected  that  General  Merritt  had 
previously  started,  with  nearly  all  of  his  force,  from 
the  White  River  Agency  across  the  White  River, 
intending  to  penetrate  as  far  as  possible  southward 
with  his  wagon  train.  It  was  generally  understood 
that  no  wagons  could  make  their  way  south  of  the 
White  River,  but  Merritt  was  too  persistent  a  soldier 
to  be  dismayed  by  the  maps  and  reports  of  those  who 
had  preceded  him.  He  made  for  the  White  River 
Mountains,  below  the  stream,  and  failed  to  find  a  pass 
for  his  wagon  train.  Almost  at  the  moment  when  his 
wagon  master  reported  to  him  the  impossibility  of 
making  headway  through  the  mountains,  Merritt  was 
handed  by  a  courier,  who  had  ridden  from  Rawlins, 
the  dispatch  peremptorily  ordering  him  to  halt.  Mer 
ritt,  however,  had  his  own  reasons  for  ascertaining 
the  state  of  affairs  all  around  and  below  his  command, 
in  case  he  should  be  ordered  to  move  on  or  in  case 
he  should  be  molested.  Therefore  he  dispatched  two 
companies  of  cavalry,  under  Captain  Henry  W.  Wes- 
sells,  Jr.,  and  First  Lieutenant  William  P.  Hall,  on 
the  morning  of  the  2Oth  inst.,  to  effect  a  reconnois- 
sance  in  force.  A  number  of  scouts,  headed  by  Paul 


THE    UTE    WAR.  75 

Humme,  their  chief,  accompanied  the  command,  whose 
double  object  was  to  learn  whether  the  hostile  Utes 
had  made  a  permanent  departure  from  the  neighbor 
hood  and  whether  there  was  any  perceptible  wagon 
road  between  the  White  River  and  the  Grand  River. 

It  appears  that  when  the  troops  got  some  twenty- 
two  miles  below  the  White  River  Agency,  Lieutenant 
Hall's  command  was  attacked  guerilla  fashion  by  a 
body  of  Utes,  who  annoyed  it  till  nightfall  without 
stampeding  it  or  doing  it  any  injury,  although 
the  couriers  report  that  two  men  were  wounded. 

First  Lieutenant  William  B.  Weir,  Chief  of  Ord 
nance  of  the  Department  of  the  Platte,  who  was  a 
volunteer  on  the  expedition,  attached  to  General 
Merritt's  staff,  had  in  the  meantime  left  the  com 
mand,  along  with  the  chief  scout,  Paul  Humme,  to 
hunt  deer.  Firing  was  soon  after  heard  by  the  mem 
bers  of  the  main  party,  but  nothing  was  thought  of  it 
until  the  long  absence  of  the  two  men  suggested  the 
advisability  of  looking  for  them.  After  a  brief  search 
Lieutenant  Weir's  naked  body  was  found  where  it  had 
fallen,  pierced  by  two  bullets  from  rifles  in  Indian 
hands.  Later  on  it  was  learned  that  he  had  encount 
ered  a  war  party  of  twenty  savages  by  whom  he  had 
been  killed  and  robbed,  and  at  the  same  time  Chief  of 
Scouts  Humme  was  killed.  The  cavalry  found 
Humme's  body  on  the  23rd  and  buried  it.  Both 
Weir  and  Humme  were  shot  through  the  head,  Weir 
being  shot  in  the  forehead  and  Humme  in  the  eye. 
Weir's  head  was  mutilated  and  Humme  was  stripped. 

The  Indian  version  of  the  fight  is  that  a  party  of 
ten  Indians  had  been  stationed  in  the  mountains  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  troops  on  White  River, 
and  that  on  the  2Oth,  about  noon,  a  party  of  white 
men  approached  them  ;  that  watching  the  party  from 
their  places  of  concealment  they  allowed  it  to  pass, 


76  THE    UTE    WAR. 

believing  it  to  be  merely  a  hunting  party  from  the 
soldiers'  camp ;  that  two  of  the  party  of  white  men 
fell  behind  and  pursued  some  deer  at  which  one  of 
them  shot,  and  that  thereupon  one  of  the  Indians 
stepped  out  to  see  if  the  shot  had  taken  effect,  where 
upon  one  of  the  white  men,  probably  Humme,  shot 
and  killed  him;  that  several* of  the  Indians  having 
been  discovered  by  the  man  who  had  shot  one  of 
them,  he  continued  to  fire  upon  them,  whereupon  as  a 
last  resort  they  raised  the  war-whoop,  when  the  rest 
of  the  party  of  Indians  rushed  down  from  the  moun 
tains  and  attacked  the  party  of  six  white  men  in  a 
ravine,  where  one  Indian  was  killed ;  that  the  party  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  two  men  pursuing  the  deer  killed 
both  of  them,  and  then  went  to  the  assistance  of  the 
others. 

On  the  23rd  a  battalion  of  five  companies  of  the 
Fifth  Cavalry,  under  Major  Sumner,  went  into  the 
mountains  to  the  divide  between  the  Grand  and 
White  rivers,  about  eighteen  miles  south  from  where 
the  fight  occurred  on  the  2Oth,  to  reconnoitre,  and 
here,  with  the  troops  excited  over  the  butchery  of 
Weir  and  his  scout,  and  expecting  another  covert 
attack  from  the  Indians  at  any  moment,  we  leave 
Merritt  and  his  command  and  pass  to  the  considera 
tion  of  other  events,  crowding  fast  upon  each  other. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  SOUTH — NEWS  OF  THE  UPRISING  AS  RECEIVED  AT 
LOS  FINOS — OURAY'S  ORDER  AND  BRADY'S  RIDE — IN 
TERVIEW  AT  THIS  TIME  WITH  THE  RED  PATRIARCH 

THE    MILITARY    IN    SOUTHERN   COLORADO AFFAIRS  IN 

SOUTH  AND  MIDDLE  PARKS  AND  THE  GUNNISON  COUN 
TRY — RUMORS  RUNNING  RIOT — BRIEF  REVIEW  OF  AF 
FAIRS  AT  THIS  PERIOD. 

Thus  far  in  this  history  little  has  been  said  regard 
ing  the  movements  of  the  troops  in  the  south  or  the 
condition  of  affairs  at  the  southern  agencies.  News 
of  the  uprising  at  White  River  reached  Los  Pinos  by 
runner  the  same  day  that  Scout  Rankin  got  into 
Rawlins.  The  day  that  the  outbreak  occurred,  Chief 
Ouray  had  started  on  a  big  hunt,  which  was  to  have 
lasted  three  months,  but  the  news  carried  through  to 
him  by  the  runner  in  twenty-four  hours  caused  his 
speedy  return  to  the  agency.  Ouray  had  always  been 
a  firm  friend  to  the  whites,  and  this  horrible  massacre 
caused  him  great  grief.  People  everywhere  felt 
assured  that  if  any  effort  of  his  could  save  the  imper 
illed  lives  of  those  at  the  seat  of  war  they  would  be 
saved,  and  his  past  reputation  led  all  to  believe  that 
should  there  be  danger  of  an  insurrection  among  the 
Uncompahgre  Utes,  the  people  would  be  warned  by 
him.  He  called  in  all  the  hunting  parties  which  were 
out,  intending  to  keep  them  under  his  own  eye,  and 
not  let  them  have  any  connection  at  all  with  their 
brethren  of  White  River. 

Immediately  upon   the   intelligence   reaching   the 
Los  Pinos  Agency,  Major  W.  M.  Stanley,  Agent,  sent 


78  THE    UTE    WAR. 

Joseph  Brady  to  the  White  River  Agency,  accom 
panied  by  a  body-guard  of  fifteen  Utes  sent  by  Ouray. 
Ouray  sent  a  positive  command  to  the  hostile  Utes 
to  cease  fighting,  the  order  reading  as  follows : 
"  To   Chiefs,    Captains,  Headmen  and  Utes  at    White 

River : 

"  You  are  hereby  requested  and  commanded  to 
cease  hostility  against  the  whites,  injuring  no  innocent 
persons  or  any  others  further  than  to  protect  your 
own  lives  and  property  from  unlawful  and  unauthor 
ized  combinations  of  horse  thieves  and  desperadoes, 
as  anything  further  will  ultimately  end  in  disaster  to 
all  parties. 

"  [Signed]  OURAY, 

"  Head  of  Ute  Nation. " 

Brady,  who  is  a  young  man  and  unaccustomed  to 
any  continuous  exertion,  stood  the  terrible  ride  nobly, 
not  one  halt  being  made  between  the  two  agencies. 
It  required  a  great  deal  of  courage  to  start  out  imme 
diately  upon  hearing  the  horrible  news  from  White 
River,  and  go  there  with  no  other  protection  than  a 
band  of  red  men  directly  allied  to  the  assassins,  with 
the  noble  hope  of  trying  to  save  the  lives  of  the 
remaining  whites  ;  and  this  is  exactly  what  this  young 
man  did.  On  his  return  from  his  mission  he  spoke 
in  the  highest  terms  of  Sapavanaro's  kindness  to  him 
on  the  journey,  and  said  that  nothing  would  induce 
him  to  believe  anything  but  that  this  chief  was  a 
warm  friend  of  the  whites.  "  Give  the  devil  his  due.'' 

Following  the  dispatching  of  this  order  came  start 
ling  rumors  from  the  south  to  the  effect  that  Ignacio, 
at  the  head  of  one  hundred  bucks,  had  left  for  the 
north,  and  that  Chief  Ouray  was  powerless  to  con 
trol  his  young  men.  It  was  reported  that  three  hun 
dred  Southern  Utes  were  on  the  war-path,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  the  frontier  settlements  became  greatly 


THE    UTE    WAR.  79 

alarmed  for  the  safety  of  themselves  and  homes. 
The  militia  of  the  south  was  organized,  arms  were 
sent  to  them  and  General  D.  J.  Cook,  of  Denver,  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  State  troops  below  the 
Divide.  At  the  same  time  application  was  made  to 
General  Pope  for  regular  troops  to  be  sent  to  the 
southern  agencies. 

Likewise  in  the  west  came  daily  rumors  of  the 
proximity  of  Indians.  At  Fairplay,  Alma,  Breckin- 
ridge,  Eagle  River,  Twin  Lakes  and  other  points, 
citizens  and  settlers  prepared  for  an  attack  from  the 
hostiles,  it  being  generally  feared  that  the  White  River 
tribe,  after  being  repulsed  by  Merritt's  advance,  would 
scatter  and  fall  down  in  small  bands  upon  the  exposed 
and  more  isolated  settlements  and  camps  along  the 
main  range.  General  Joe  C.  Wilson  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  State  troops  in  the  South  Park  and 
Gunnison  countries,  and  reported  within  two  days  that 
he  could  send  out  nearly  any  number  of  men  required 
for  the  defense  of  the  people  and  towns  along  the 
carbonate  belt.  A  large  amount  of  arms  and  ammu 
nition  were  forwarded  to  Leadville,  where  General 
Wilson  established  his  headquarters.  Chapters  could 
be  written  on  the  different  "scares"  which  sprang  up 
from  this  direction. 

The  most  extravagant  reports  of  danger  came  also 
from  Middle  Park  and  that  section,  and  campers, 
herders,  and  prospectors  "  came  in  "  in  a  hurry.  Gen 
eral  W.  H.  Harnill  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  the 
militia  in  this  section,  and  with  arms  forwarded  from 
Denver  went  from  Georgetown  to  Middle  Park  and 
armed  all  the  people  on  the  frontier  and  within  the 
line  of  possible  attack.  State  companies  at  George 
town,  Central  and  other  points,  were  placed  under 
arms  and  a  system  of  scouts  and  runners  established, 


8o  THE    UTE   WAR. 

which  would  assure  the  earliest  news  of  any  danger 
at  remoter  points. 

It  may  be  as  well  to  state  here  as  anywhere  in  this 
work  that  only  one  or  two  stray  Indians  were  even 
seen,  and  that  no  loss  Of  life  or  property  transpired  in 
the  Eagle  River,  South  Park  or  Middle  Park  coun 
tries  during  or  succeeding  the  White  River  uprising. 

But  while  the  condition  of  affairs  at  the  northern 
agency  and  the  fate  of  the  women  captives  were  in 
doubt  and  uncertainty,  public  attention  was  attracted 
to  proceedings  in  the  south,  where  the  utterances  and 
opinions  of  Head  Chief  Ouray  were  eagerly  watched 
for,  and  weighed  as  having  the  deepest  significance. 
The  well-known  friendship  for  and  loyalty  to  the 
government  of  this  old  chief  gave  to  many  the  as 
surance  that' what  he  said  might  be  relied  upon,  and 
what  he  prophesied  might  safely  be  anticipated. 
Numerous  stories  came  from  the  southern  agency, 
or  credited  in  their  source  to  that  point,  that  Ouray 
could  not  control  his  people  and  had  warned  the  set 
tlers  in  the  south  to  be  on  their  guard;  that  many  of 
Ouray's  immediate  followers  had  forsaken  him,  and 
that  bands  of  New  Mexico  Indians  were  swarming 
into  the  Uncompahgre  country  to  form  conjunction 
with  the  red  raiders  of  the  north  and  declare  general 
war.  As  these  reports  came  to  the  more  thickly  set 
tled  sections,  and  were  taken  up  by  the  press  of  the 
State,  the  numbers  of  Indians  engaged  or  in  sympathy 
with  the  revolt  increased  gradually,  until  it  was  cur 
rently  stated  and  generally  believed  that  fully  two 
thousand  Indians  were  on  the  war-path,  with  acces 
sions  gathering  from  Utah  tribes,  the  Northern 
Arapahoes,  Bannocks,  Shoshones  and  other  nations. 
As  a  large  part  of  the  Ute  nation  was  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  San  Juan  country,  and  as  two  influen 
tial  chiefs  lived  in  that  section,  actual  developments 


THE   UTE    WAR.  8 1 

from  the  south  were  awaited  with  deep  anxiety,  espe 
cially  as  it  was  believed  that  the  rapid  hurrying  of 
troops  toward  the  Los  Pinos  and  Uncompahgre  agen 
cies  would  have  a  tendency  to  precipitate  any  threat 
ened  uprising  among  the  southern  bands. 

The  first  really  authentic  information  as  to  the  ac 
tual  situation  of  affairs  among  the  Indians  of  the 
south;  the  sentiment  of  the  head  men  and  the  posi 
tion  of  the  principal  chiefs,  reached  the  capital  of  the 
State  in  the  shape  of  a  letter  from  the  clerk  for  the 
Agent  at  Los  Pinos  Agency,  received  October  Qth,  in 
which  he  said : 

"Chief  Ouray  was  at  the  agency  this  morning, 
accompanied  by  a  special  messenger  from  Chief 
Douglass,  of  the  White  River  Utes.  The  messenger 
left  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  inst.,  with  instructions  to 
Ouray  to  have  no  fears  of  any  trouble  from  his  tribe; 
that  the  fight  now  going  on  is  an  affair  of  their  own, 
am1  do  not  wish  any  one  to  interfere.  They  propose 
to  settle  it  without  any  assistance  from  outside  parties, 
and  in  any  event  will  not  trouble  him  or  his  people. 
That  the  three  women  and  three  children,  one  a  babe, 
are  safe  at  his  house,  shall  be  well  cared  for  and 
released  as  soon  as  the  fight  is  over.  The  money  and 
papers  belonging  to  the  agency  have  been  turned  over 
to  the  Agent's  wife.  A  messenger  sent  out  by  Ouray, 
who  arrived  at  the  same  time,  reports  that  the  troops 
are  strongly  intrenched  and  still  fighting;  that  with 
the  supply  of  provisions  on  hand  he  has  no  fears  of 
their  ability  to  hold  out  until  reinforcements  arrive. 

"  I  am  requested  by  Chief  Ouray  to  state  to  the 
people  of  Ouray  and  vicinity  that  they  need  have  no 
fears  whatever  from  the  Indians  of  the  Los  Pinos 
Agency;  that  none  of  his  people  took  any  part  in  the 
affair  at  White  River,  and  that  they  are  desirous  that 

the  peaceful  relations  which  now  exist  shall  forever  be 
6 


82  THE   UTE    WAR. 

maintained;  that  in  case  any  danger  threatens  us  he 
will  immediately  notify  the  agency  and  the  people  of 
Ouray;  that  he  deplores  the  trouble  existing  at  White 
River,  and  is  extremely  anxious  that  no  further  fight 
ing  or  bloodshed  shall  take  place,  and  will  use  his 
utmost  endeavors  to  bring  about  a  speedy  settlement 
of  the  present  difficulties.  Any  information  he  may 
receive  will  be  immediately  communicated  to  the 
agency  and  promptly  forwarded  to  Ouray  City. 

"Ouray's  word  is  'legal  tender'  in  this  valley,  and 
I  trust  it  will  have  its  effect  and  quiet,  in  a  measure, 
the  excitement  which  now  exists. 

"Yours,  respectfully, 

•'  GEORGE  P.  SHERMAN." 

General  Edward  Hatch,  commanding  the  depart 
ment  of  New  Mexico,  was  ordered  to  assume  charge 
of  the  forces  in  Southern  Colorado,  which  promptly, 
on  application  to  General  Pope,  of  Fort  Leavenworth, 
were  rapidly  concentrated  at  and  below  Alamosa. 
General  Hatch  remained  in  command  of  the  Southern 
Colorado  troops  until  the  appointment  of  the  Investi 
gation  Commission  spoken  of  in  the  succeeding 
chapter,  when  he  withdrew,  and  General  McKenzie,  of 
San  Antonio,  Texas,  was  appointed  in  charge.  Troops 
were  located  before  the  outbreak  at  Forts  Garland  and 
Lewis,  where  permanent  posts  were  established. 
These  were  at  once  ordered  to  prepare  for  march  and 
to  await  commands  from  headquarters.  Troops  were 
ordered  from  San  Antonio  and  Fort  Clark,  Texas, 
Fort  Hayes.  Kansas,  and  Fort  Union,  New  Mexico,  to 
Southern  Colorado  and  Northern  New  Mexico,  to  pro 
tect  the  settlements  and  advance  the  war  in  Colorado, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  frustrate  the  hostile  demonstra 
tions  of  the  Indians  in  New  Mexico.  By  these  move 
ments  quite  an  army  of  regular  troops  were  formed 
for  march  to  the  frontier  in  the  south,  their  plan  of 


THE    UTE   WAR.  83 

operations  being  to  protect  settlements,  check  uprising 
and  co-operate  with  Merritt  in  the  north. 

When  this  sub-department  or  column  was  placed  in 
charge  of  General  McKenzie  after  the  recall  of  Gen 
eral  Hatch,  at  which  time  its  maximum  strength  was 
reached,  the  force  numbered  one  thousand  men  and 
was  officered  as  follows:  General  McKenzie  com 
manding;  John  F.  Guilfoyle,  Ninth  Cavalry,  Assistant 
Adjutant  General;  Second  Lieutenant  Charles  W. 
Taylor,  aid. 

Battalion  of  four  companies  of  the  Twenty-second 
Infantry,  Major  A.  L.  Hough,  commanding. 

Company  H,  Fifteenth  Infantry,  Captain  J.  W. 
Bean. 

Detachments  of  Companies  I  and  B,  Fifteenth  In 
fantry,  First  Lieutenant  George  A.  Cormick. 

Battalion  of  mounted  troops,  Captain  James  H. 
Bradford. 

Company  G,  Nineteenth  Infantry,  Captain  James 
H.  Bradford. 

Company  K,  Ninth  Cavalry,  Captain  Charles  Parker. 

Surgeons,  Dr.  J.  H.  Collins  and  Dr.xF.  H.  Atkins. 

The  positions  assumed  by  the  troops  were  arranged 
so  as  far  as  possible  to  cover  as  wide  a  scope  of 
country,  and,  at  the  same  time,  have  the  column  as 
compact  as  such  a  plan  made  practicable;  the  main 
body,  or  rather  the  largest  body  of  troops,  proceeding 
to  a  point  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Indian  villages  near 
Animas  City,  from  which  point  by  trail  and  road  it  is 
but  eighty  miles  to  Ouray.  The  troops  from  here 
could  strike  the  Dolores  trails  readily,  and  were  in  a 
position  to  cover  the  settlements  and  strike  quickly 
and  hard,  should  the  Indians  make  a  break. 

In  this  condition  affairs  in  the  south,  like  those  in 
the  north,  remained  passive  for  some  time.  Merritt 
at  White  River  guarded  that  frontier ;  the  State  mili- 


84  THE    UTE   WAR. 

tia,  armed  and  equipped,  protected  settlements ;  Gen 
eral  McKenzie  and  his  forces  swarmed  along  the 
frontier  in  the  south.  It  was  well  known  at  this  time 
that  the  Indians  engaged  in  the  White  River  massacre 
were  on  Grand  River,  and  in  probable  possession  of 
the  white  women.  The  hostiles  were  hemmed  in  on 
three  sides  and  had  but  two  alternatives  :  to  surrender 
or  take  flight  along  the  valley  of  the  Grand  to  Utah, 
and  seek  refuge  in  the  wilderness  in  the  southern  part 
of  that  territory  or  the  protection  of  their  relatives, 
the  Uintas. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

AN  ENVOY  TO  THE  HOSTILE  CAMP GENERAL  ADAMS  AND 

AN   INDIAN    ESCORT    GOING    TO    THE    RESCUE    OF    THE 

WHITE  CAPTIVES THE  TRIP   TO  GRAND    RIVER JOSIE 

MEEKER  MAKES  HER  ESCAPE THE   DEMAND   AND  THE 

COUNCIL — WHAT  THE   UTE   CHIEFS   SAID — SURRENDER 

OF    THE     HOSTAGES A     JOYFUL     REUNION ADAMS 

PROCEEDS   TO    WHITE  RIVER HIS    NARROW   ESCAPE 

RETURN  TO  LOS  PINOS. 

On  the  evening  of  October  14,  General  Charles 
Adams,  Special  Agent  for  the  United  States  Postoffice 
Department,  received,  at  Denver,  telegraphic  notifica 
tion  that  at  the  request  of  Secretary  Schurz  he  had 
been  detailed  for  special  work  as  representative  of  the 
Interior  Department  among  the  Indians.  A  second 
dispatch  from  Washington  gave  General  Adams  spe 
cific  instructions  as  to  his  mission  and  how  to  proceed. 
His  principal,  overshadowing  duty  was  the  rescue  of 
the  captive  white  women.  The  appointment  was  re 
garded  with  great  favor.  General  Adams  was  Agent 
for  the  White  River  Utes  in  1870-1,  and  was  the  first 
Civil  Agent  of  the  Los  Pinos  tribe,  acting  in  that 
capacity  during  the  years  1872-3-4.  His  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  Indian  character,  his  bravery,  energy 
and  sagacity,  it  was  felt,  would  be  equal  to  any  de 
mands  his  errand  might  make  upon  them. 

The  General  said  very  little  as  to  his  plans,  and  the 
people  at  large  were  ignorant  of  his  intentions  or 
movements  until  he  commenced  to  act,  when  the  his 
tory  of  his  course  became  public.  This  much  was 
understood,  however:  that  he  was  to  proceed  directly 


86  THE    UTE   WAR. 

to  the  hostile  camp  and  demand  the  immediate  sur 
render  of  the  women,  if  in  camp,  and  that  the  hostiles 
lay  down  their  arms.  If  these  demands  were  not 
acceded  to,  General  Adams  was  to  at  once  withdraw 
and  notify  the  Department  and  the  military.  The 
tenor  of  Secretary  Schurz's  pronunciamento  left  no 
doubt  as  to  the  contingent  proceeding  on  the  part  of 
the  government;  the  Indians  then  had  to  be  brought 
to  justice  and  by  the  military.  The  troops  would 
take  care  of  the  hostiles,  while  General  Adams  would 
endeavor  to  keep  at  peace  those  Indians  who  were  not 
engaged  in  the  Meeker-Thornburgh  butchery.  In 
the  event  of  the  acquiescence  of  the  Indians  in  Gen 
eral  Adams'  demands,  it  was  not  understood  that  they 
were  to  be  accorded  leniency.  The  General  was  to 
hold  out  no  promises  except  the  general  one  that  their 
good  conduct  would  be  reported  at  Washington,  and 
prompt  compliance  with  the  demands  would  be  taken 
into  consideration  by  the  government. 

General  Adams  left  Denver  October  i$th  for  Los 
Pinos. 

Two  days  after  he  was  followed  by  W.  J.  Pollock, 
United  States  Indian  Inspector,  who  was  to  officially 
investigate  affairs  at  the  southern  agencies.  Major 
Pollock  was  accompanied  by  Ralph  Meeker,  a  son  of 
Agent  Meeker,  who,  armed  with  special  authority  from 
the  Interior  Department,  hoped  to  assist  in  the  recovery 
of  his  mother  and  sisters.  Messrs.  Pollock  and 
Meeker  expected  to  join  General  Adams,  but  were 
prevented  from  so  doing  and  proceeded  to  Los  Pinos, 
where  they  remained. 

General  Adams  arrived  at  Chief  Ouray's  camp  on 
the  night  of  the  i8th,  where  he  had  a  long  conference 
with  the  head  of  the  Ute  Nation,  and  with  his  aid 
and  advice  perfected  his  plans  for  the  trip  to  the  Grand 
River  one  hundred  miles  north,  where  the  captives 


THE    UTE    WAR.  8/ 

were  then  known  to  be.  The  following  day  General 
Adams  arrived  at  Los  Pinos  and  began  active  prepa 
rations  for  his  perilous  and  important  journey.  Ouray 
accompanied  the  General  to  the  agency  and  assisted 
him  in  arranging  for  his  departure. 

On  the  morning  of  the  iQth  General  Adams  started 
north  for  the  Grand  River  country.  His  escort  con 
sisted  of  three  chiefs  and  ten  Indians.  The  chiefs 
were  named  Sapavanaro,  Shavano,  and  Young  Colo- 
row.  He  was  accompanied  by  Count  von  Doenhoff, 
Secretary  of  the  German  Legation  at  Washington,  an 
intimate  friend  of  Secretary  Schurz,  by  a  special  cor 
respondent  of  the  Denver  Tribune,  and  Captain  Cline, 
an  old  scout  and  frontiersman.  There  were  also  two 
white  men  along  to  drive  wagons  and  take  care  of  the 
camping  outfit. 

A  provision  wagon  and  buck  board  were  taken 
along,  in  order  that  the  ladies  might  be  spared  the 
fatigue  of  a  long  return  journey  on  horseback.  With 
great  thoughtfulness,  Ouray  had  sent  along  his  own 
tent  for  the  use  of  the  ladies. 

The  route  taken  was  the  wagon  road,  built  by  John 
son's  army  in  1859,  to  Utah,  which  was  followed  for 
forty  miles  beyond  the  Gunnison  River,  where  the 
wagons  were  left,  and  the  remainder  of  the  journey 
performed  on  horseback. 

The  party  secured  an  early  start  and  traveled 
forty  miles,  to  the  crossing  of  the  Gunnison  River, 
on  an  old  Mormon  trail,  the  first  day.  Here  two  run 
ners  were  sent  ahead  by  Sapavanaro  to  inform  Chief 
Douglass  of  their  approach,  in  order  that  he  might 
collect  his  head  men  and  consult  with  them  before 
the  arrival  of  the  envoy.  The  next  day  they  reached 
Whitewater  Creek,  thirty  miles  further,  arriving  there 
about  two  o'clock.  A  halt  was  made  until  sundown 
when  the  ride  was  resumed,  and  they  got  to 


00  THE    UTE   WAR. 

Grand  River  that  night.  At  noon  that  day  two 
Indians  met  them.  .They  were  Cojoe  and  Henry  Jim. 
They  were  from  the  hostile  camp,  and  told  the  party 
where  the  camp  was,  and  that  the  women  were  all 
safe.  The  Indians  also  told  where  the  women  were 
kept  and  in  whose  tents  they  were.  The  next  morn 
ing,  the  2  ist,  the  General  and  his  escort  left  Grand 
River  and  struck  the  hostile  camp  about  ten  o'clock. 
It  was  twenty  miles  distant  from  the  river.  Shortly 
before  they  reached  there  one  of  the  two  Indians 
sent  ahead  returned  and  said  that,  after  a  whole  night's 
council,  the  Indians  had  concluded  to  let  them  come 
in.  Douglass  and  some  of  his  men,  they  said,  would 
meet  them.  When  they  got  to  the  camp  General 
Adams  discovered  that  the  women  were  in  a  small 
camp  on  Plateau  Creek.  The  main  camp  was  at  the 
mouth  of  Roon  Creek,  on  the  Grand  River.  Adams 
went  to  the  small  camp,  composed  of  about  fifteen 
lodges,  and  proceeded  to  the  further  end.  There  were 
three  tents,  and  in  each  tent  a  prisoner. 

"Ugh!  Ute  house;  pretty  soon  see  white  squaws," 
said  Sapavanaro. 

So  at  last  they  had  arrived  at  their  goal  in  just  six 
calendar  days  from  the  time  General  Adams  left 
Denver. 

The  General,  who  was  in  advance,  rode  first  toward 
the  farthest  group  of  tepees,  and  stopping  at  one,  in 
the  doorway  of  which  stood  a  squaw,  asked  if  the 
white  squaws  were  in  there. 

"  Katch,"  (no),  was  the  reply,  and  General  Adams 
started  for  the  other  tent,  when,  "  Hold  on,  General," 
exclaimed  Captain  Cline,  excitedly,  "I  see  one  of 
them." 

"Good,"  said  the  General,  "keep  an  eye  on  her," 
and  rode  off  to  the  other  tent.  This  was  entirely 
empty,  and  he  rode  back  to  the  first. 


THE    UTE    WAR.  89 

The  lady  whom  Captain  Cline  had  seen,  in  spite  of 
the  efforts  of  the  squaw  to  conceal  her  by  standing  in 
the  door,  then  came  out,  exclaiming: 

"Oh,  have  you  come  for  us?     I  am  so  glad." 

She  then  said  she  was  Miss  Josephine  Meeker; 
that  this  was  the  camp  of  Chief  Johnson  ;  that  her 
mother,  and  Mrs.  Price  and  little  boy,  were  in  the 
other  tepee,  Josie  having  the  little  girl  with  her.  After 
a  few  moments  conversation,  General  Adams  told  her 
that  he  would  return  in  a  short  time,  and  rode  off  to 
the  other  tents.  One  of  these  was  empty,  and  the 
other  entirely  closed,  save  a  small  opening  in  the 
door-way.  Before  this  the  party  dismounted,  and 
then  began  an  excited  colloquy  between  Sapavanaro 
and  the  occupants  of  the  tent,  he  seeming  to  speak 
angrily  and  indignantly,  and  the  other  speakers,  who 
afterward  proved  to  be  Captain  Billy  and  Waro,  both 
Uncompahgre  Utes,  answering  in  a  sulky  way. 

Presently  Sapavanaro  turned  to  General  Adams 
and  told  him  in  Spanish  that,  seeing  them  coming, 
the  women  had  been  hid,  and  that  only  the  unlooked- 
for  move  of  his  in  riding  to  the  fartherest  tent  first 
had  prevented  them  from  hiding  Miss  Meeker. 

They  had  sent  for  Douglass,  whose  camp  was  about 
sixteen  miles  distant,  and  nothing  could  be  done  until 
his  arrival.  Upon  this  information,  saddles  were  un- 
cinched  and  horses  were  picketed  for  a  stop.  While 
waiting  the  party  had  a  fine  opportunity  to  observe 
the  camp  and  its  surroundings. 

The  plain  upon  which  the  tents  were  pitched  was  as 
fine  pasture  land  as  Colorado  contains,  and  extended 
in  three  directions  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
mountains  rising  on  the  other  side,  and  a  small  creek 
flowing  within  fifty  yards  of  the  tents.  Upon  a  small 
stand  set  up  between  the  tents  hung  a  non-commis 
sioned  officer's  sash  and  a  cavalry  sabre,  topped  by  a 


QO  THE    UTE    WAR. 

uniform  coat ;  several  army  saddles  were  piled  in  front 
of  the  tents;  mules  and  horses  with  the  United  States 
brand  on  them  were  grazing  on  the  mesa,  while  gov 
ernment  blankets,  bags  of  flour,  etc.,  were  scattered 
all  around. 

The  escort,  the  Uncompahgre  Utes,  save  only 
Sapavanaro  and  Shavano,  who  stood  aloof,  mingled 
freely  with  their  white  brethren,  and  were  soon  laugh 
ing  and  talking  loudly. 

After  perhaps  an  hour's  waiting,  a  short,  ungraceful 
Ute  rode  up,  followed  by  two  others.  Though  com 
monly  dressed,  yet  a  brightness  of  face  about  him 
and  the  hushed  talk  of  the  Indians  around  prepared 
the  party  to  be  told  that  that  was  Douglass. 

Dismounting  from  his  horse  he  spoke  to  General 
Adams,  shook  hands  with  him  and  the  rest  of  the 
party,  and  then  turned  away  and  became  absorbed  in 
a  consultation  with  Shavano  and  his  two  head  men. 

This  lasted  a  short  time,  when  Douglass  went  up 
to  General  Adams,  who,  seated  on  the  ground,  had 
been  quietly  waiting  for  him  to  open  the  negotiations, 
and  kneeling  on  the  ground,  drew  a  map  of  White 
River  and  the  surrounding  country  with  his  finger. 
He  then  explained  that  the  troops  were  continually 
advancing  and  his  men  retreating  before  them ;  that 
neither  he  nor  his  men  wished  to  fight,  and  concluded 
by  requesting  the  General  to  go  to  White  River  and 
tell  the  soldiers  to  stop  their  advance. 

To  this  General  Adams  replied  that  he  had  been 
sent  by  the  government  to  tell  him  that  it  wished  for 
no  war;  but  that  the  "white  squaws  must  be  returned 
to  their  friends." 

"I  give  you  white  squaws,  you  go  to  White  River?" 
asked  Douglass. 

"Yes." 

"White  squaws  stay  here  till  you  come  back?" 


THE    UTE    WAR.  9! 

"No,"  replied  General  Adams,  "white  squaws  start 
to-morrow  home.  I  go  to-day  to  White  River." 

Douglass  thought  a  moment,  then,  rising,  said  to 
the  General : 

"You  come  in,"  and  went  into  the  tepee,  which  had 
during  the  conversation  become  filled  with  Utes. 
General  Adams  followed,  and  seating  himself,  there 
began  a  council  which  lasted  for  five  hours. 

General  Adams  furnishes  the  following  account  of 
the  proceedings  council  tepee: 

"There  were  about  fifty  chiefs  in  the  tent.  I  was 
supported,  as  you  might  say,  by  Chiefs  Sapavanaro 
and  Shavano,  who  were  under  my  charge  at  the 
southern  agency,  and  there  was  also  present  Sawawic, 
a  chief  whom  in  1870  I  nursed  for  three  months  in 
my  own  house  at  the  southern  agency.  I  formally 
made  my  errand  known,  and  then  one  chief  after 
another  spoke,  nearly  all  of  them  refusing  their  con 
sent  to  the  surrender.  The  pipe  was  passed  around, 
but  I  refused  to  smoke  with  them,  and  so  did  Sapa 
vanaro  until  they  had  consented  to  a  release.  Finally 
Shavano  became  angry  and  discouraged  and  arising 
from  the  council  told  me  it  was  useless  to  parley  fur 
ther,  and  left  the  tent.  At  this  Sapavanaro  stepped 
into  the  circle  and  made  a  most  powerful  and  deter 
mined  speech,  more  of  a  threat,  than  an  appeal.  Dur 
ing  his  great  talk  there  was  considerable  excitement 
and  pow-wow  in  the  council,  but  I  learned  later  that 
the  chief  said  that  he  bore  the  mandate  of  Ouray. 
The  Indians  must  surrender  the  captive  women  to 
General  Adams  or  they  would  not  be  recognized  by 
Ouray.  They  would  be  shut  off  from  communication 
with  their  head  chief;  not  allowed  to  come  to  his 
camp,  and  Ouray  would  join  with  the  white  soldiers 
and  force  the  surrender  or  drive  the  rebellious  Utes 
from  the  country. 


92  THE   UTE   WAR. 

"  This  speech  had  a  deep  effect,  and  an  old  Uintah 
chief  who  was  in  the  council  held  private  conversation 
with  Chief  Douglass,  evidently  urging  him  to  obey 
Ouray  as  the  politic  course.  Douglass  then  arose, 
and  after  endeavoring  to  get  me  to  go  with  the  troops 
first  and  then  return  for  the  prisoners,  but  being  again 
refused,  he  finally  yielded  an  ungraceful  assent. 
Then  one  after  another  of  the  opposing  chiefs  followed 
suit  and  the  agreement  became  nearly  unanimous. 

"  I  saw  Cojoe,  an  Uncompahgre,  in  the  council. 
He  wore  Lieutenant  Cherry's  dress  coat  and  his  watch 
and  chain.  I  think  this  chief  had  three  or  four  men 
in  the  camp.  There  were  probably  ten  or  twelve 
Uintahs  in  the  camp.  Of  these  latter  there  had 
undoubtedly  been  many  more  at  first,  but  they  fled  to 
the  west  when  the  message  from  Ouray  was  received." 

At  the  close  of  the  council  the  long  pipe  was  passed 
around,  and  General  Adams  came  out,  saying  to  his 
company  that  the  ladies  had  been  sent  for  and  would 
be  here  in  a  few  moments. 

Presently  there  came  toward  the  white  men  an  old 
lady  leaning  on  a  stick,  whom  they  knew  at  once  to 
be  Mrs.  Meeker.  Mrs.  Price  followed  her,  her  little 
boy  being  carried  behind  in  a  blanket,  Indian  fashion. 
They  shook  hands  cordially  with  Adams  and  the 
others. 

"  We  are  so  thankful  you  have  come,"  they  said. 
«'  Yesterday  a  runner  came  in,  and  a  little  while  after 
we  were  told  that  Washington  would  be  here  to-mor 
row  ;  but  the  Indians  had  so  frequently  told  us  things 
of  that  kind  to  torment  us  that  we  hardly  believed. 
But  now  we  can't  help  believing  it.  When  are  you 
going  to  take  us  away  ?  " 

"  Very  soon,"  said  General  Adams.  "  I  have  ar 
ranged  everything  so  you  can  start  to-morrow." 

"  We  are   so  glad,"  said   Mrs.  Price.     "  When  the 


THE    UTE    WAR.  93 

Indians  came  to  our  tent  and  made  us  go  into  that 
brush  we  didn't  know  what  was  going  to  happen  to 
us ;  but  we  had  become  so  hopeless  that  we  didn't 
care  much." 

In  a  few  moments  General  Adams  rode  off  with 
Douglass,  Sapavanaro,  and  Shavano.  He  was  to  go 
to  the  camp  of  Douglass  that  night,  and  in  the  morn 
ing  start  for  White  River.  Count  von  Dcenhoff 
accompanied  him.  Before  he  left,  Douglass  ordered 
Miss  Meeker  and  the  little  girl  to  be  brought  over  to 
where  the  rest  were  ;  and  when  they  came  there  was 
a  joyful  reunion  on  the  part  of  the  ladies. 

One  of  the  tepees  was  prepared  for  their  sleeping 
accommodation,  and  they  early  retired  to  rest  to  pre 
pare  for  the  necessarily  early  start  next  morning. 

After  the  women  had  been  given  up,  and  in  com 
pany  with  the  twelve  southern  Utes  who  had  accom 
panied  the  envoy  to  Grand  River,  had  started  south, 
General  Adams  took  a  guard  of  twenty-five  White 
River  Utes  and,  in  company  with  Chiefs  Sapavanaro, 
Shavano  and  Sawawic,  started  for  Merritt's  command, 
to  stop  their  march  south.  When  about  twenty  miles 
below  the  agency  the  party  were  discovered  by  Mer 
ritt's  scouts,  who  reported,  as  was  afterwards  learned, 
that  a  band  of  Indians  were  approaching.  Before 
Adams  was  aware  of  his  proximity  to  the  soldiers  the 
party  were  surrounded,  and,  as  he  believes,  escaped 
fire  by  a  moment  by  their  discovery  of  Adam's  flag  of 
truce,  which  he  at  once  raised.  The  Indians  were 
positive  he  had  been  treacherous,  and  showed  every 
manifestation  of  anger  and  bitter  resentment.  But 
the  faithful  Sawawic  exhibited  his  confidence  in  the 
General,  and  re-assured  the  others  by  dismounting 
and  proceeding  forward  alone.  Adams  sent  word  to 
the  soldiers  and  the  bugle  call  was  sounded.  The 
Indians  had  clambered  up  the  mountain  side  and  were 


94  THE    UTE    WAR. 

waiting  developments,  and  the  General  turned  back 
for  them.  Just  as  he  had  prevailed  upon  Shavano  to 
come  to  his  side,  a  squad  of  soldiers,  who  had  not 
heard  the  bugle  sound,  rode  up,  when  Shavano  with  a 
yell  again  bounded  away,  and  it  was  some  time  before 
Adams  could  get  his  escort  together  again.  The 
party  proceeded  to  the  agency,  and  General  Adams 
told  General  Merritt  what  he  had  accomplished  and 
promised.  Merritt  at  once  withdrew  his  advance,  and 
Adams  and  escort  returned  to  the  Grand  River  camp, 
the  escort  reporting  what  Adams  had  done,  which  was 
satisfactory  evidence  that  he  had  fulfilled  his  agree 
ment. 

General  Adams  proceeded  next  day  towards  Los 
Pinos,  and  arrived  at  that  agency  October  29th. 


CHAPTER  X. 

GOING    BACK — CAPTURE   AND    DISPOSAL   OF   THE    WOMEN 
AND   CHILDREN — DOUGLASS  TAKES  THE  AGENT'S  WIFE 
AND  DISPUTES  WITH  PERSUNE  OVER   HIS    DAUGHTER- 
FIRST  FEELINGS — LIGHTS  AND  SHADOWS — MRS.  MEEK 
ER    RELATES     HER    STORY SETTING    OUT     FOR    THE 

SQUAWS'  CAMP. 

During  this  time  we  have  left  the  women,  Mrs. 
Meeker,  Miss  Josephine  and  Mrs.  Price,  and  Mrs. 
Price's  babies,  in  the  hands  of  the  hostiles.  Twenty- 
three  days  have  elapsed  since  they  were  made  captives, 
and  they  have  passed  through  an  experience  which 
seems  in  every  way  incredible.  That  they  should 
have  borne  up  under  the  trying  ordeal  of  this  time  is 
the  wonder  of  the  day.  The  experience  at  the 
agency,  the  imprisonment,  the  massacre,  the  treat 
ment  they  received  at  the  hands  of  the  savages,  the 
dread  and  anxious  state  of  mind  which  must 
have  been  continual  with  them  from  beginning  to 
end,  were  sufficient,  it  would  seem,  to  break  down  the 
strongest  organizations.  During  all  this  time  thous 
ands,  millions,  of  anxious  eyes  have  been  turned 
towards  the  western  border  of  Colorado,  peering  into 
the  wilderness  and  the  mountains,  to  discover  some 
trace  of  the  captives.  An  occasional  glance  which 
was  only  sufficiently  plain  to  strengthen  hope  and 
create  doubt  was  afforded,  thus  heightening  rather 
than  lessening  the  suspense  of  the  nation  and  in 
creasing  the  sympathy  and  anxiety  felt  for  the  poor 
wanderers  in  a  strange  land  among  a  wild  and  sav 
age  race.  Once  in  a  while  there  came  state 
ments  from  the  Indian  runners,  who  were  constantly 


96  THE    UTE    WAR. 

plying  between  the  camp  of  Chief  Ouray  and  that  of 
the  hostiles,  saying  that  they  were  safe  in  the  hands 
of  the  White  River  Utes  at  a  spot  some  hundred 
miles  north  of  the  Uncompahgre,  or  Los  f.Pinos, 
Agency.  But  the  statements  of  the  Indians  were  not 
considered  strictly  reliable,  for,  while  it  was  thought 
they  were  held  as  captives,  it  was  doubted  whether 
they  had  been  treated  with  any  respect  or  indeed 
whether  their  lives  would  be  spared. 

The  story  as  told  by  the  rescued  captives  is  a 
pathetic  and  an  absorbingly  interesting  one.  It  is  a 
strange  and  peculiar  story — a  new  picture  of  Indian 
life  and  of  the  Indian  land,  full  of  light  as  well  as  of 
shadow,  abounding  in  bright  and  sunny  spots,  we  are 
pleased  to  say,  as  well  as  in  dark  and  gloomy  corners 
— in  streaks  of  sunlight  as  well  as  in  thunder  storms. 
It  is  a  revelation,  a  new  account  of  the  life  and  man 
ners  of  the  aboriginal  American,  the  noble  red  man 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  stories  of  the  captives 
'  as  told  to  General  Adams,  and  as  afterwards  related  a 
hundred  times  over  by  the  captives  to  their  friends 
and  the  press,  give  glimpses  of  Indian  life  more 
curious  and  instructive  than  anything  which  has  ap 
peared  in  the  press  or  in  literature  for  the  last  thirty 
years.  A  great  deal  of  picturesque  Indian  life  is 
painted  in  Cooper's  novels,  but  that  is  either  fiction  or 
facts  so  embellished  and  heightened  as  to  be  undis- 
tinguishable  from  the  veriest  romance.  In  the  reports 
we  have  had  of  the  incessant  Indian  wars  in  recent 
years,  the  barbarities  of  the  native  tribes  have  made  a 
great  figure,  but  there  have  been  few  relieving 
features,  and  little  light  has  been  shed  on  the  kind  of 
life  which  the  Indians  lead  among  themselves.  These 
are  narratives  of  thrilling  interest  which  lift  the 
curtain  and  disclose  phases  of  savage  humanity  as  it 
exists  in  the  far-off  western  wilds,  and  enlarge  our 


THE    UTE    WAR.  97 

'knowledge  of  Indian  character  as  it  exists  at  present. 
Public  attention  has  been  chiefly  fixed  on  the  massa 
cre  and  the  rescue,  but  since  the  women  and  children 
who  were  carried  off  are  out  of  danger,  a  singular 
interest  attaches  to  what  happened  to  them  while  they 
were  in  the  power  of  the  savages  and  to  the  knowl 
edge  they  gained  while  in  that  hapless  condition. 
The  minute  and  interesting  recitals  of  Miss  Meeker, 
Mrs.  Meeker  and  Mrs.  Price,  form  the  most  valu 
able  contribution,  to  our  knowledge,  of  the  interior 
life  of  the  Indians  which  has  been  made  in  this 
generation.  It  is  better  than  anything  in  the  Leather 
Stocking  series  because  it  is  authentic,  and  does  not 
fall  below  anything  in  those  celebrated  fictions  in 
pictorial  interest  or  curious  illustration  of  Indian 
traits.  During  their  captivity  of  twenty-three  days 
these  ladies  had  opportunities  to  observe  the  charac 
ter  and  the  strange  antics  of  their  captors  such  as 
have  not  before  occurred  in  our  time,  and,  it  is  to  be 
hoped,  will  never  occur  again  to  persons  of  their  sex. 

To  begin  with  the  beginning,  we  must  retrace  our 
footsteps,  and  ask  the  reader  to  return  with  us  to 
White  River.  We  will  not  stop  to  listen  to  the  moan 
ing  of  the  winds,  the  lowing  of  the  agency  cattle  as 
the  sun  descends  on  that  sorrowful  day,  or  to  moralize 
over  the  ashes  of  the  agency  buildings  or  the  dead 
bodies  of  good  "  Father"  Meeker  and  his  faithful  fol 
lowers.  For  the  present  we  leave  these  things  to 
those  who  have  not  the  living  to  care  for.  We  leave 
the  dead  to  bury  the  dead,  while  we  pursue  the  cap 
tives  on  their  wild  course  into  the  mountains. 

Having  massacred  the  men  at  the  agency  and 
burned  all  the  buildings  but  one,  the  savages  set 
themselves  to  work  to  secure  the  plunder  and  carry  it 
away.  As  we  have  already  seen  they  had  removed 
their  women  to  a  place  south  of  the  agency,  that  they 
7 


98  THE   UTE   WAR. 

might  be  out  of  danger  in  case  the  soldiers  should 
push  through  and  attack  them.  To  the  squaws'  camp 
later  in  the  day  they  repaired. 

When  the  women  rushed  out  of  the  burning  build 
ing,  driven  from  their  hiding  place  like  foxes  from 
their  dens  by  the  sportsman,  and  made  the  one 
despairing  dash  across  the  open  field,  hoping  to  cover 
themselves  in  the  chapparal  and  the  sage  brush,  and 
thus  hide  until  they  could  be  protected  by  the  dark 
ness  of  the  approaching  night — they  discovered  the 
Indians  at  a  distance  busily  engaged  in  packing  mules 
and  horses  with  agency  supplies.  They  were  so  oc 
cupied  piling  on  the  blankets  and  guns  and  stowing 
away  the  meat  and  flour  that  they  did  not  see  Dresser 
and  the  women  and  children  until  they  had  almost 
reached  their  goal.  A  wild  yell,  which  came  simul 
taneously  from  a  score  of  throats,  a  mad  rush  and 
the  discharge  of  firearms  followed.  Mrs.  Meeker  fell 
when  struck  by  a  ball,  while  Dresser,  for  whom  the 
shot  was  most  likely  intended,  bounded  on  and  was 
lost  in  the  dense  growth. 

The  women  could  do  nothing  but  place  themselves 
at  the  mercy  of  the  savages,  who  promised  protection 
and  security.  However  little  confidence  they  may 
have  had  in  this  guarantee,  no  alternative  but  to  ac 
cept  and  go  along  with  them  was  left  them.  Their 
friends  were  all  dead.  They  were  helpless  and  in  the 
hands  of  the  slayers.  Mrs.  Meeker  had  scarcely 
fallen  to  the  ground  when  a  big  buck,  holding  a  gun 
in  his  hand,  stood  over  her,  his  face  illumined  by  a 
ghastly  savage  grin.  "  Me  no  hurt  white  squaw,"  he 
said;  "Ute  no  hurt  squaw,  good  squaw.  Come  to 
Douglass."  Mrs.  Meeker  followed,  limping  after  the 
red  scoundrel,  who  had  taken  what  money  she  had — 
some  $30 — and  went  to  the  camp  of  Douglass  with 
him.  She  was  then  delivered  over  to  the  considerate 


THE    UTE    WAR.  99 

care  of  that  "  good "  chief,  who  rewarded  her  captor 
by  giving  him  two  silver  dollar  pieces  which  he  had 
taken  from  the  old  lady.  Mrs.  Meeker  has  related  in 
her  own  language  what  next  transpired,  and  as  in  that 
is  included  a  pathetic  incident,  which  is  all  the  more 
affecting  as  related  by  her,  we  repeat  her  words : 


MRS.   N.  C.  MEEKER. 


"  I  told  Douglass  that  I  must  have  some  blankets. 
He  sent  an  Indian  named  Thompson  to  the  burning 
building  with  me,  and  I  got  a  hood,  a  shawl  and  one 
blanket.  I  handed  around  bedding,  etc.,  among  the 
Indians,  rather  than  have  them  destroyed.  The  In 
dians  took  them,  and  I  afterward  saw  them  in  camp 
when  I  was  suffering  for  the  want  of  blankets  to  keep 
me  warm.  I  went  back  to  Douglass  and  said  that  I 
wanted  my  medicine  and  my  'spirit  book.'  I  had 
doctored  Douglass  and  his  family.  He  said,  'Go'; 
so  I  went  back  a  second  time  and  got  a  large  copy  of 
'Pilgrim's  Progress'  and  a  box  of  medicines.  The 
box  was  so  heavy  that  an  Indian  refused  to  carry  it. 
It  was  lost,  but  he  took  the  book.  When  I  got  back 


IOO  THE    UTE   WAR. 

to  Douglass  and  told  that  chief  the  Indian  had  said 
that  the  medicine  chest  was  too  heavy  to  carry,  Doug 
lass  looked  disappointed  and  sorrowful,  and  asked — 

"'Couldn't  you  have  split  the  box  a  little,  so  you 
could  have  brought  part  of  it?' 

"  In  going  back  this  last  time  I  saw  the  body  of  my 
husband  stretched  out  on  the  ground  in  front  of  the 
warehouse;  all  the  clothing  was  gone  but  the  shirt. 
The  body  was  not  mutilated.  The  arms  were  ex 
tended  at  the  sides  of  the  head.  The  face  looked  as 
peaceful  and  natural  as  in  life,  but  blood  was  running 
from  the  mouth.  I  stooped  to  kiss  him,  but  just  as 
my  lips  were  near  his  I  saw  an  Indian  standing  stone 
still,  looking  at  me,  so  I  turned  and  walked  away. 
Douglass  afterward  said  that  my  husband  was  shot 
through  the  side  of  the  head." 

Mrs.  Price  surrendered  to  an  Uncompahgre  Ute, 
Cojoe  by  name,  and  Miss  Josephine  was  made  the 
captive  of  a  subordinate  chief  or  head  man  called 
Persune,  whose  name  has  become  known  to  the  out 
side  world  because- of  his  gallant  bearing  toward  the 
Agent's  daughter — "  The  pale  white  squaw  who  grieve 
much."  When  taken  Miss  Josephine  was  in  charge 
of  Mrs.  Price's  little  girl  May,  while  Mrs.  Price  still 
retained  possession  of  Johnnie. 

An  incident  worthy  of  note,  to  which  doubtless  the 
captives  owe  much  of  their  fair  treatment  during  the 
three  weeks  that  succeeded  this  dreadful  day,  occurred 
a  few  minutes  after  the  women  and  children  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  barbarians.  When  Miss  Jose 
phine  first  went  to  the  agency  she  was  an  object  of 
much  curious  interest  and  of  attention  on  the  part  of 
the  Indians.  Young,  rosy-cheeked,  bright,  cheerful 
and  vivacious,  she  charmed  the  savage  eye  and  won 
the  red  man's  heart.  During  her  stay  of  over  twelve 
months  in  their  midst  she  was  loved  and  wooed  by 


TftE    UTE   WAR.  IOI 

fully  a  dozen  braves,  many  of  whom  occupied  first 
rank  as  chiefs.  They  made  all  kinds  of  offers  to  her, 
those  that  were  married  agreeing  to  put  away  their 
other  wives,  and  those  that  were  not  swearing  that 
their  love  and  admiration  for  the  white  maiden  should 
never  be  dimmed  or  diminished  by  affection  for  any 
other  woman,  wild  and  untutored  or  gentle  and  edu 
cated.  One  moccasined  lover  had  hardly  been  sent 
away  until  another  succeeded  in  his  plea  at  the  shrine 
of  love.  Douglass  had  himself  become  a  victim  to 
Miss  Meeker's  superior  charms,  and  hesitated  not  to 
speak  his  admiration  to  the  daughter  of  the  Agent. 
Persune,  a  younger  and  handsomer,  and  withal  a  bet 
ter  Indian,  had  also  avowed  his  passion  and  his  desire 
to  possess  "the  white  lily." 

As  was  naturally  to  be  expected  there  was  a  gen 
eral  anxiety  to  hold  this  treasure,  now  in  the  hands  of 
the  tribe.  Persune  had  been  alive  to  the  situation, 
and  while  the  other  Indians  were  engaged  in  securing 
the  agency  goods,  he  was  pursuing  the  fleeing  charm, 
which  he  captured.  He  did  not  prove  in  all  respects 
a  gentle  lover,  and  when  in  conducting  his  captive 
back  to  the  Indian  headquarters,  he  came  to  an  irri 
gating  canal,  which  had  been  constructed  by  the 
Agent  for  the  purpose  of  watering  the  valley,  over 
which  there  was  no  means  of  crossing,  he  rudely 
dragged  her  through  the  water,  which  was  quite  deep, 
wetting  her  to  the  skin,  so  that  when  our  heroine 
came  up  on  the  opposite  bank,  she  was  not  in  ball 
room  plight.  Little  May  suffered  the  same  indignity 
offered  her  protector,  and  also  came  out  of  the  pool 
looking  more  like  a  clothes-line  appendage  than  a 
piece  of  mortality. 

Persune  had  scarcely  more  than  emerged  from  this 
watery  pathway  than  he  came  upon  the  great  chief 
whom  the  whites  call  Douglass,  but  whose  Indian 


IO2  THE   UTE   WAR. 

cognomen  is  Quinkent,  who  no  sooner  discovered 
that  Persune  had  made  a  captive  of  Miss  Josephine,, 
upon  whom  he  had  turned  his  own  eye,  than  he  en^ 
tered  an  objection.  It  was  plain  to  be  seen  that  he 
had  been  drinking,  for  he  swaggered  and  swore: 
Miss  Josephine,  who  had  seen  only  the  better  side  of 
Douglass's  character,  was  disposed  to  request  him  to* 
take  her,  as  she  thought  he  would  protect  her.  But 
second  counsel  with  herself  prevailed,  and  she  decided 
to  let  the  savages  settle  the  matter  among  themselves, 
especially  as  she  had  little  hope  of  influencing  the  re 
sult.  She  therefore  held  her  tongue  while  the  braves 
quarreled  over  the  possession  of  her.  They  came 
near  to  blows,  and  the  young  lady  thought  at  one 
time  that  the  day  which  had  been  so  eventful  and 
which  had  seen  the  spilling  of  so  much  of  the  blood! 
of  the  white  man,  might  yet  see  the  letting  of  some 
of  the  extra  supply  of  an  Indian,  or  perhaps  two. 
Little  May  clung  close  about  her  protector  while  the 
Indians  disputed  over  the  possession,  seeming  to 
assert  that,  let  whomsoever  might  take  her  away,  they 
two  would  not  be  parted. 

Persune  was  not,  however,  in  the  least  daunted  by 
Douglass's  braggadocio.  He  told  him  that  the  captive 
was  his,  and  that  he  meant  to  retain  possession  of  her, 
and  after  parleying  for  a  while  with  the  chief,  and 
exchanging  a  few  uncomplimentary  epithets,  alluding, 
among  other  things,  to  Douglass's  connection  with 
the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre,  he  pushed  the  White 
River  chief  to  one  side  and  passed  on  with  his  cap 
tives,  leaving  Douglass  to  his  own  cogitations  and 
chagrin. 

The  Indians  told  the  women  that  they   must  now 
get  ready  for  a  long  march,  for  they  had  a  great  way  to » 
go  that  night,  to  the  squaws'  camp,  far  away  toward  the 
Uncompahgre  country.     But  this  warning  was  almost 


THE   UTE   WAR.  1 03 

unnecessary,  as  there  were  no  preparations  for  them 
to  make.  Their  clothing,  except  what  they  wore, 
had  been  burned  with  the  other  agency  effects.  The 
day  had  been  warm,  and  as  the  ladies  considered 
themselves  out  of  the  sight  of  all  but  "home  folks," 
they  had  dressed  themselves  as  scantily  as  they  could 
for  protection  against  the  heat.  They  wore  only  their 
calico  dresses,. and  neither  shoes  nor  stockings.  Thus 
they  rendered  themselves  comfortable  during  the 
warmth  of  the  day;  but  towards  evening,  in  the 
mountains,  when  the  sun  begins  to  disappear,  the  air 
grows  chill,  and  wraps  and  fires  become  comfortable. 
Darkness  had  come  upon  them  while  in  this  unprotect 
ed  state,  and  the  prospect  of  having  to  ride  horseback 
during  a  long  and  cold  night  opened  before  them. 
They  shuddered  at  the  thought,  and  because  of  the 
cold.  It  was  a  case  of  mingled  prospect  and  reality. 
The  present  was  an  indication  of  what  the  future, 
might  be. 

The  Indians  had  finished  their  plundering  and 
packing  and  were  now  ready  to  leave  the  agency 
and  the  agency  ashes.  The  women  were  told 
to  mount.  Mrs.  Meeker  was  set  upon  the  bare 
back  of  a  horse,  behind  Chief  Douglass.  Miss 
Josie  was  placed  on  a  pony,  and  little  May  was  lashed 
on  behind  her.  She  was  provided  with  a  saddle,  but 
with  no  bridle,  the  Indians  depending  upon  driving 
her  horse  as  they  desired  it  to  go,  rather  than  upon 
her  guiding  it.  The  Uncompahgre  Ute  who  had 
captured  Mrs.  Price  spread  a  blanket  over  the  saddle 
of  a  pony  and  told  her  to  mount.  She  crawled  upon 
the  animal's  back,  her  baby  boy  was  handed  to  her, 
and  the  Indian  threw  himself  on  behind.  There  were 
about  twenty  Indians  in  the  party,  all  mounted,  and 
with  quite  a  number  of  annuity  goods  strapped  on 
pack-mules.  The  Indians  had  attired  themselves 


1O4  THE  UTE  WAR- 

quite  picturesquely  before  beginning  the  massacre, 
having  assumed  their  feathers  and  their  war-paint. 
These  decorations  they  still  retained. 

The  cavalcade  started  directly  southward,  taking 
the  Indian  trail  to  Grand  River,  which  led  gradually 
into  the  mountains.  '  The  sight  was  a  peculiar  one — 
as  wild  as  weird  and  as  weird  as  can  well  be  imagined. 
The  Indians  and  the  women  appeared  in  costumes  which 
on  the  streets  of  any  city  would  attract  the  gaze  of 
all  who  might  catch  a  glimpse  of  them.  It  would 
have  made  a  fine  picture,  and  the  artist  present  would 
have  lacked  nothing  to  complete  the  view.  Moun 
tains,  valleys,  trees,  streams,  figures,  Indian  hilarity, 
female  sorrow,  the  dark  back-grounds  of  the  agency 
and  its  recent  scenes — all  lighted  by  a  full  moon,, 
which  had  just  risen  over  the  mountains  to  the  east,, 
and  fitly  and  graphically  described  by  Bret  Harte's- 
pretty  little  word  painting — 

Above  the  pines  the  moon  was  slowly  drifting ; 

The  river  sang  below; 
The  dim  sierras  far  beyond  uplifting 

Their  minarets  of  snow. 

These  were  terrible  times  for  the  poor  women. 
What  thoughts  must  have  crowded  their  brains  !  what 
phantoms  taken  shape!  what  pictures  must  have 
formed  on  the  camera  of  the  imagination !  A  day  of 
terror  such  as  mortal  seldom  experiences  succeeded 
by  a  night  among  wild  and  drunken  men,  in  fastnesses 
in  the  heart  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  unexplored  by 
men  of  their  own  race  and  color.  Having,  as  we  may 
say,  witnessed  the  massacre  of  husbands,  fathers  and 
friends ;  having  been  cooped  up  all  day  in  a  hole,  for 
self-protection ;  having  seen  the  buildings  which  had 
afforded  them  shelter  crumble  to  the  ground  as  the 
savage  flames  mounted  to  the  skies ;  having  almost 
been  dragged  over  the  dead  bodies  of  their  dead 


THE  UTE  WA&.  105 

friends  by  their  murderers,  they  were  now,  alone  and 
without  protection,  trusting  only  to  Providence  for 
relief,  in  the  hands  of  these  barbarians,  and  were 
doomed  to  spend — not  only  a  night,  but  perhaps  an 
eternity  with  them. 

We  draw  the  curtain  over  the  scene. 


CHAPTER  XL 

ON    THE    TRAIL — SOUTHWARD    BOUND — THROUGH     VAL 
LEYS  AND  OVER  HILLS — A  DARK  AND  WINDING  WAY 

ROMANTIC  SCENES — THE  FIRST  CAMP — INSULTING  AND 

THREATENING  THE  CAPTIVE  WOMEN MISS  JOSEPHINE'S 

INTERVIEW   WITH    DOUGLASS SHE  DEFIES  THE  FIEND 

MRS.  MEEKER  INSULTED  AND  TAUNTED,  AND  ALMOST 

TORTURED MRS.     PRICE    AND     HER     BABIES INDIAN 

COUNCILS   AND   WAR    DANCES — ON   THE   GRAND. 

The  trail  was  a  well  defined  pathway,  giving  evi 
dence  of  having  been  traveled  for  many  a  day  by  man 
and  beast.'  It  was  tortuous  and  narrow,  winding 
about  on  the  hillsides  and  descending  into  the  hol 
lows,  sometimes  ascending  an  abrupt  point  and  at 
others  leading  through  a  deep  canon  with  the  moun 
tains  looming  up,  it  seemed,  well  nigh  to  the  skies, 
and  cutting  out  all  but  the  faintest  shadows.  But 
for  the  continual  jabber  of  the  Indians,  the  down-cast 
and  sad-hearted  women  might  have  easily  imagined  a 
hundred  armed  warriors  concealed  behind  as  many 
pillars  of  stone  and  pine  trees,  ready  to  march  stealth 
ily  forward  and  take  possession  of  and  murder  them. 
The  Indians  seemed  in  excellent  spirits,  and,  whether 
they  marched  up  hill  or  down,  laughed  and  talked 
continually,  generally  among  themselves,  but  some 
times  addressed  their  conversation  to  their  captives. 
Their  naturally  wild  and  uncouth  characters  were 
brought  out  in  bolder  relief  by  the  use  of  whisky 
with  which  they  seemed  to  be  abundantly  supplied, 
and  which  they  used  without  stint.  Each  one  carried 
a  well  filled  bottle,  which  found  its  way  to  his  mouth 


THE    UTE    WAR.  IO/ 

at  short  intervals.  They  had  robbed  the  medicine 
stores  at  the  agency  of  all  the  liquor  to  be  obtained 
there,  and  were  also  evidently  well  supplied  before  they 
had  begun  their  plundering.  They  drank  and  laughed 
continually.  In  fact,  to  use  a  common  expression, 
they  were  gloriously  drunk.  But,  as  may  well  be 
imagined,  their  hilarity  was  in  sad  contrast  to  the  feel 
ings  of  the  despairing  women  and  frightened  children. 
Relating  her  experience  Mrs.  Meeker  says  : 

"  Douglass's  breath  smelt  strongly  of  whisky.  He 
said : 

"  '  Your  father  dead ;  I  had  a  father  once ;  he  too  is 
dead.  Agent  no  understand  about  the  fight  Indians 
make. ' 

"  The  other  Indians  all  took  out  bottles  of  whisky, 
which  they  held  up  between  their  eyes  and  the  moon 
as  they  drank  so  as  to  see  how  much  was  left. 
Douglass  as  he  rode  along  sang  what  seemed  to  be 
an  obscene  song  to  a  pretty  melody  in  slow  measure. 
When  he  had  finished  he  asked  how  I  liked  it.  My 
limb  ached  so  terribly  that  I  could  scarcely  sit  on  the 
horse.  Douglass  held  it  a  while;  then  he  strapped  it 
in  a  kind  of  a  sling  to  his  saddle. 

"  I  asked  if  I  should  see  my  daughter,  Josephine. 
Douglass  replied,  '  Yes. '  * 

"  As  we  rode  a  villainous  looking  Indian  trotted 
alongside  and  slapped  me  on  the  shoulder  and  asked 
how  I  would  like  to  be  his  squaw,  and  he  made  inde 
cent  proposals.  Chief  Douglass  listened  and  laughed. 
He  said  the  Indian  was  an  Arapahoe,  and  I  would  kill 
Utes  if  I  married  an  Arapahoe. " 

Mrs.  Price  relates  that  she  was  treated  quite  civilly 
by  the  Uncompahgre  Indian  who  had  made  her  a 
captive  and  who  rode  behind  her.  He  pulled  a  watch 
out  of  his  pocket  and  asked  her  if  she  recognized  it. 
It  proved  to  be  a  gold  time-piece  taken  from  Mr. 


IO8  THE    UTE   WAK, 

Post,  the  agency  clerk,  and  a  valued  family  relic. 
The  Indian,  who  evidently  did  not  appreciate  the 
value  of  the  property,  put  the  guard  over  Mrs.  Price's 
head  and  strung  it  around  her  neck,  saying  it  was  her 
watch.  She  states  that  the  road  at  times  ascended 
such  steep  hills  that  she  was  almost  unable  to  hold 
on,  while  Mrs.  Meeker,  who  rode  behind  Douglass, 
was  compelled  to  cling  to  him  with  all  her  strength 
to  avoid  falling  off  behind. 

Persune  early  began  to  display  towards  Miss  Jose 
phine  the  gallantry  which  characterized  him  in  all  his 
dealings  towards  her.  He  rode  alongside  of  her, 
driving  his  two  pack-mules  in  front,  and  was  not  in 
the  least  rude  or  presuming.  When  she  complained 
of  thirst,  he  went  to  the  river  and  brought  her  a  drink 
in  his  hat.  To  illustrate  the  different  degrees  of  po 
liteness  among  savages,  it  may  be  related  that  Mrs. 
Price  had  also  asked  her  Indian  for  some  water,  being 
also  very  thirsty.  He  gave  it  to  her  also  out  of  his 
hat,  but  before  handing  it  to  her,  drank  himself.  This 
Persune  did  not  do. 

The  Indians  traveled  at  a  rapid  trot  for  three  or  four 
hours  and  at  last  left  the  trail,  and  soon  entered  a 
small  ravine,  where  they  camped  for  perhaps  half  an 
hour,  the  prisoners  being  separated.  Here  the  pris 
oners  were  told  to  dismount,  and  obeying  instructions, 
they  were  carefully  searched  by  the  Indians,  even  to 
their  shoes  and  stockings.  They  found  on  Mrs. 
Meeker's  person  a  pocket-book,  which  was  full  of 
needles  and  a  handkerchief.  Thjs  last  piece  of  prop 
erty  was  taken  by  the  ten-year-old  son  of  Douglass, 
whose  full  name  is  Frederick  Douglass.  He  is  a  boy 
ten  years  old,  who  had  received  special  care  at  the 
hands  of  the  women  at  the  agency.  He  had  been 
taught  to  read  and  to  speak  English  to  a  degree. 
His  instructors  were  much  encouraged  at  his  progress, 


THE    UTE    WAR.  1 OO, 

and  thought,  until  they  saw  him  in  his  real  character, 
unrestrained  by  conventionalities,  that  he  was  a  bright 
and  shining  contradiction  of  the  prevailing  opinion 
that  the  Indian  could  not  be  civilized.  Now,  how 
ever,  that  there  were  no  restraints  about  him,  and  that 
his  savage  nature  was  at  liberty  to  assert  itself,  it  did 
not  fail  him.  Like  Mark  Tapley,  he  came  out  strong. 
He  not  only  stole  Mrs.  Meeker's  handkerchief,  but  he 
abused  her  to  the  greatest  extent  possible  with  the 
words  which  had  been  taught  him  at  the  agency.  He 
also  taunted  and  jeered  and  poked  fun  at  Miss  Jose 
phine  and  Mrs.  Price,  and  teased  and  tormented  the 
babies  until  they  cried. 

In  doing  these  things  the  young  Douglass  only 
followed  the  example  set  by  his  illustrious  sire  and 
others  of  the  tribe.  Of  all  the  Indians  the  house  of 
Douglass  seems  to  have  proved  on  this  occasion  the 
most  conspicuous.  Miss  Josephine  had  scarcely  dis 
mounted  from  her  horse  when  this  villain  approached 
her  in  an  indecent  and  threatening  manner.  She  had 
lain  down  upon  some  blankets  to  take  needed  rest 
while  stopping. 

Chief  Douglass  addressed  her  as  "white  squaw," 
laughed  at  her,  and  then  made  her  a  speech,  upbraid 
ing  her  father,  reciting  his  wrongs,  and  ending  with  a 
threat  to  kill  her.  He  was  greatly  excited  and  used 
many  gestures  while  speaking,  representing  what  had 
been  done — what  he  thought  and  felt — quite  as  much 
by  actions  as  by  words.  He  began  with  the  story  of 
his  own  grievances,  which  were  many  and  trivial. 
He  said  the  massacre  (he  had  not  yet  heard  of  the 
Thornburgh  fight,  though  they  knew  of  his  ap 
proach  southward)  occurred  because  Major  Thorn- 
burgh,  whom  he  knew  not  by  name,  but  who  was 
perfectly  described,  told  the  Indians  that  he  was  going 
to  arrest  the  head  chiefs,  take  them  to  Fort  Steele  and 


IIO  THE   UTE   WAR. 

put  them  in  the  calaboose — perhaps  hang  them.  He 
said  Agent  Meeker  had  written  all  the  letters  to  the 
Denver  papers  and  circulated  wild  reports  about  what 
the  Indians  would  do,  as  set  forth  by  the  western 
press,  and  that  he  was  responsible  for  all  the  hostility 
.against  the  Indians  among  the  whites  in  the  west. 
He  manifested  a  perfect  knowledge  of  what  had  been 
said  in  the  papers,  and  quoted  largely,  almost  word 
for  word,  from  them. 

He  said,  furthermore,  that  pictures  of  the  Agent 
and  all  his  family,  women  and  children,  had  been 
found  on  Thornburgh's  body  just  before  the  attack  on 
the  agency,  and  the  pictures  were  covered  with  blood, 
and  showed  marks  of  knives  on  different  parts  of  the 
bodies.  The  throats  were  cut  The  one  of  the 
Agent  had  a  bullet  hole  in  his  head.  Josephine  was 
represented  in  one  of  the  pictures  as  shot  through  the 
breast.  Douglass  said  Father  Meeker  had  made  these 
pictures,  representing  the  prospective  fate  of  his  fam 
ily,  and  sent  them  to  Washington,  to  be  used  to 
influence  the  soldiers  and  hurry  troops  forward  to 
fight  the  Indians. 

This  remarkable  statement,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
was  afterward  repeated  to  the  captives  by  a  dozen  dif 
ferent  Indians,  and  the  recital  and  the  particulars  were 
always  the  same. 

While  Douglass  was  telling  this  he  stood  in  front 
of  the  captive  girl  with  his  gun,  and  his  anger  was 
dreadful.  Then  he  shouldered  his  gun  and  walked 
up  and  down  before  her  in  the  moonlight  and  imitated 
the  employes,  who  had  kept  guard  at  the  agency  for 
three  nights  before  the  massacre.  He  mocked  them, 
and  sneered  and  laughed  at  them,  and  said  he  was  "  a 
heap  big  Indian."  Then  he  sang  English  songs 
which  he  had  heard  the  agency  employes  sing  in  their 
rooms.  He  sang  the  negro  melody,  "Swing  Low, 


THE    UTE    WAR. 


Ill 


Sweet  Chariot,"  and  asked  Josephine  if  she  under 
stood,  which  she  easily  did,  because  he  had  the  words 
and  tune  perfectly  committed.  He  said  the  Agent 
had  always  been  writing  to  Washington.  He  always 
saw  him  writing  when  he  came  to  the  agency.  It 
was  write,  write,  write  all  day,  he  said.  Then  he 
swore  a  fearful  oath  in  English,  and  said  if  the  soldiers 
had  not  come  and  threatened  the  Indians  with  Fort 
Steele  and  the  calaboose  and  threatened  to  kill  the 
other  Indians  at  White  River,  the  Agent  and  em 
ployes  would  not  have  been  massacred. 


CHIEF   DOUGLASS. 


Then  the  brave  chief,  Douglass,  who  had  eaten  at 
the  family  table  that  very  day,  walked  off  a  few  feet, 
returned  and  placed  his  loaded  gun  to  Josie's  forehead 
three  separate  times,  and  asked  her  if  she  was  going 
to  run  away. 

She  told  him  that  she  was  not'afraid  of  him  nor  of 
death,  and  should  not  run  away. 


112  THE    UTE   WAR. 

When  he  found  his  repeated  threats  could  not 
frighten  her,  all  the  other  Indians  turned  on  him  and 
laughed  at  him,  and  made  so  much  fun  of  him  that 
he  sneaked  off  and  went  over  to  frighten  her  mother. 
She  heard  her  cry  "  Oh ! "  and  supposed  that  she 
thought  some  terrible  fate  had  befallen  her  daughter, 
who  shouted  to  her  that  she  was  not  hurt ;  that  she 
need  not  be  afraid ;  that  they  were  only  trying  to 
scare  her.  The  night  was  still,  but  she  heard  no  res 
ponse. 

What  happened  to  Mrs.  Meeker  is  related  by  her. 
She  says : 

"  They  talked  indecently  to  us  and  made  shameful 
proposals.  They  were  drunk,  and  their  conversation 
was  loud  with  ribaldry.  They  even  threatened  me 
with  death  if  I  did  not  submit  to  their  bestiality. 
Fortunately  I  escaped  outrage,  but  had  to  submit  to 
terrifying  threats  of  violence  and  death.  Douglass 
went  through  the  burlesque  of  imitating  the  employes 
in  keeping  guard  at  the  agency.  He  mocked  the 
soldiers,  walking  up  and  down  with  a  gun  on  his 
shoulder,  and  sang. 

"  As  I  lay  on  the  ground,  not  knowing  when  I 
should  be  butchered,  I  thought  of  my  young  daughter 
Josephine,  who  was  not  far  away,  and  wondered  if  she 
had  already  been  slaughtered.  My  face  was  partly 
covered,  but  suddenly  I  heard  Douglass's  voice.  I 
turned  and  saw  Chief  Douglass  standing  close  by  me, 
with  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  pointed  directly  at  my 
face.  I  involuntarily  cried  out.  Josephine  heard  me 
and  her  voice  came  out  of  the  night,  saying : 

"  *  I  am  all  right,  mamma ,  don't  be  afraid  ! ' 

"  Douglass  lowered  his  gun,  raised  it  again  and 
took  aim.  I  said  nothing  and  he  walked  away.  An 
Indian  standing  near  said : 


THE    UTE    WAR.  113 

" '  Douglass  no  hurt  you.  He  only  playing  sol 
dier."' 

After  half  an  hour  of  this  exhibition  all  hands  took 
a  drink  around  Josie's  bed ;  then  they  saddled  their 
horses,  and  Persune  led  the  young  lady's  horse  to 
her  and  knelt  down  on  his  hands  and  knees  for  her  to 
mount  from  his  back.  He  always  did  this,  she  says, 
and  when  he  was  absent  his  wife  did  it.  'She  saw 
Persune  do  the  same  gallant  act  once  for  his  squaw, 
but  it  was  only  once,  and  none  of  the  other  Indians 
did  it  at  all  for  the  other  white  women  or  their 
squaws. 

They  urged  their  horses  forward  and  journeyed  in 
the  moonlight  through  to  the  Grand  Mountains  with 
the  Indians  talking  in  low  tones  among  themselves, 
having  greatly  quieted  down.  The  little  three-year- 
old  May  Price,  who  was  fastened  behind  Josephine, 
cried  a  few  times,  for  she  was  cold  and  had  had  no 
supper,  and  her  mother  was  away;  but  the  child  was 
generally  quiet. 

It  was  after  midnight  when  they  made  the  second 
halt  in  a  deep  and  sombre  canon,  with  tremendous 
mountains  towering  on  every  side,  where  the  squaws 
were  camped.  Mrs.  Meeker  was  not  allowed  to  come 
up  where  her  daughter  was.  Douglass  kept  her  with 
him  half  a  mile  further  down  the  ravine.  Mrs.  Price 
was  kept  away  from  both  of  the  other  ladies,  all  being 
separated. 

Mrs.  Meeker's  rough  treatment,  which  continued 
during  the  entire  captivity,  began  here.  She  says 
that  when  she  reached  the  Ute  women's  camp, 
Douglass  ordered  her  roughly  to  get  off  the  horse. 
She  was  so  lame  and  in  such  pain  that  she  told  him 
she  could  not  move.  He  took  her  hand  and  pulled 
her  off,  and  she  fell  on  the  ground,  because  she  could 
not  stand.  An  Indian  and  a  squaw  soon  came  and 
8 


H4  THE  UTE  WAR- 

helped  her  up  and  led  her  to  a  tent.  When  she  went 
to  bed  Douglass  and  his  wife  covered  her  with 
blankets,  and  she  was  more  comfortable  that  night 
than  at  any  other  time  during  her  captivity. 

Relating  her  experiences  of  that  night  and  the  next 
morning,  Mrs.  Price  says: 

"When  we  arrived  at  the  camp  that  night,  a  squaw 
came  and  took  my  little  boy  from  the  horse  and  cried 
over  him  like  a  child.  I  dismounted  and  sat  down  in 
Persune's  camp.  I  wasn't  at  all  hungry,  and  when 
they  offered  me  coffee,  cold  meat  and  bread  I  could 
not  eat.  After  a  while  the  squaw  got  over  her  weep 
ing,  when  they  talked  and  laughed.  All  I  could 
understand  was  when  they  repeated  the  soldiers' 
names  and  counted  what  number  of  men  they  had 
killed  at  the  agency.  They  said  they  had  killed  nine. 
At  first  they  said  ten,  and  I  told  them  differently,  as  I 
thought  Frank  had  escaped.  They  asked  me  how 
many,  and  seemed  to  accept  my  statement  as  correct. 
They  spread  some  blankets  for  me  to  lie  on,  but  I 
could  not  sleep.  The  moon  shone  very  brightly  and 
everything  looked  ghastly.  In  the  morning  I  went 
to  Persune's  tent  and  sat  by  the  fire.  I  was  cold,  for 
I  had  nothing  to  wear  except  a  calico  dress.  I  sat 
there  weeping — I  could  not  help  it — with  my  little 
boy  in  my  arms.  The  squaws  came  around  and 
talked  and  looked  at  me,  and  laughed  and  made  fun 
of  me.  I  didn't  understand  what  they  said,  only 
occasionally  a  word.  After  a  time  some  of  the  men 
came  in  and  talked  to  the  squaws,  and  looked  at  me 
and  laughed. " 

Persune  had  plenty  of  blankets,  which  were  stolen 
from  the  agency.  He  spread  some  for  Miss  Jose 
phine's  bed,  and  rolled  up  some^for  her  pillow  and 
told  her  to  retire.  Then  the  squaws  came  and 
laughed,  and  grinned  and  gibbered  in  their  own  grim 


THE    UTE    WAR.  11$ 

way.  When  she  hacTlain  down  on  the  blankets  two 
squaws,  one  old  and  one  young,  came  to  the  bed,  and 
sang  and  danced  fantastically  and  joyously  at  her  feet, 
piercing  the  wild  mountain  midnight  air  with  their 
yells.  The  other  Indians  stood  around,  and  when  the 
women  reached  a  certain  part  of  their  recitative  they 
all  broke  into  laughter.  Toward  the  end  of  their 
song  Persune  gave  each  of  them  a  newly  stolen  gov 
ernment  blanket,  which  they  took  and  then  went 
away.  The  young  lady  relates  that  the  strangeness 
and  wild  novelty  of  position  kept  her  awake  until 
toward  morning,  when  she  fell  into  a  doze,  and  did 
not  awake  until  the  sun  was  shining  over  the  moun 
tains. 


CAPTAIN   JACK. 

By  this  time  the  Indians  were  all  astir,  and  Miss 
Josephine  opened  her  eyes  upon  a  wild  and  exciting 
scene.  It  was  all  understood  when  Douglass  an 
nounced: 

" Runner  just  come;  Indians  killed  heap  soldiers; 
Douglass  go  to  front;  gone  five  days." 


Il6  THE   UTE    WAR. 

It  was  evident  that  an  Indian  runner  had  followed 
close  upon  their  heels  the  night  before,  bringing  the 
news  of  the  fight  with  Thornburgh,  and  that  he  had 
arrived  early  in  the  morning.  The  Indians  were  now 
off  for  the  front,  to  assist  their  brethren  in  the  resist 
ance  to  the  invasion  of  their  country  by  the  soldiers. 
The  runner  reported  that  Thornburgh  had  been  killed 
and  his  troops  forced  to  retreat  to  a  point  where  they 
could  be  easily  picked  off  by  the  Indians.  The 
women  were  left  with  the  squaws,  and  the  bucks  all 
took  their  leave  for  the  scene  of  battle,  Cojoe  strap 
ping  a  cartridge  belt  about  him  and  going  with  the 
White  River  Utes. 

At  this  juncture  the  story  of  the  women  becomes 
more  interesting,  as  told  in  their  own  language,  than 
in  any  other  shape : 

"On  Tuesday,  after  most  of  the  men  had  left  the 
camp,"  says  Miss  Josie,  "  mother  came  up  to  see  me, 
in  company  with  a  little  Indian  girl.  On  Wednesday, 
the  next  day,  Johnson  went  over  to  Jack's  camp  and 
brought  back  Mrs.  Price  and  her  baby  to  live  in  his 
camp.  He  said  he  had  made  it  all  right  with  the  other 
Utes. 

"  We  did  not  do  anything  but  be  around  the  various 
camps  and  listen  to  the  talk  of  the  squaws,  whose  hus 
bands  were  away  fighting  the  soldiers.  On  Wednes 
day  and  on  other  days  one  of  Supanzisquait's  three 
squaws  put  her  hand  on  my  shoulder  and  said: — 

'"Poor  little  girl,  I  feel  so  sorry;  you  have  no 
father,  and  you  are  away  off  with  the  Utes  so  far  from 
home.' 

"She  cried  all  the  time,  and  said  her  own  little' 
child  had  just  died  and  her  heart  was  sore.     When 
Mrs.  Price  came  into  camp,  another  squaw  took  her 
baby,  Johnny,  into  her  arms  and  wept  over  him,  and 
said  in  Ute  that  she  felt  very  sorry  fdr  the  captives. 


THE    UTE    WAR.  117 

* 

"  Next  day  the  squaws  and  the  few  Indians  who  were 
there  packed  up  and  moved  the  camp  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  into  an  exceedingly  beautiful  valley,  with  high 
mountains  all  around  it.  The  grass  was  two  feet 
high,  and  a  stream  of  pure  soft  water  ran  through  the 
valley.  The  water  was  so  cold  I  could  hardly  drink  it. 

"  Every  night  the  Indians,  some  of  whom  had  come 
back  from  the  soldiers,  had  councils.  Mr.  Brady  had 
just  come  up  from  the  Uncompahgre  Agency  with  a 
message  from  Chief  Ouray,  for  the  Indians  to  stop 
fighting  the  soldiers.  He  had  delivered  the  message, 
and  this  was  why  so  many  came  back. 

"On  Sunday,  most  of  them  were  in  damp.  They 
said  they  had  the  soldiers  hemmed  in  a  canon,  and 
were  merely  guarding  them.  Persune  came  back, 
wearing  a  pair  of  soldier's  blue  pantaloons,  with  yel 
low  stripes  on  the  legs.  He  took  them  off  and  gave 
them  to  me  for  a  pillow.  His  legs  were  protected 
with  leggings,  arid  he  did  not  need  them.  I  asked 
the  Indians  before  Brady  came  where  the  soldiers 
were.  They  replied  that  they  were  "still  in  that  cel 
lar,"  and  the  Indians  were  killing  their  ponies  when 
they  went  for  water  in  the  night.  They  said : — 

"'Indian  stay  on  mountains  and  see  white  soldiers; 
soldiers  no  see  Indian;  white  soldier  not  know  how  to 
fight.' 

"  About  an  hour  after  supper  of  the  day  the  Indians 
left, "  says  Mrs.  Price,  "  an  old  squaw  ordered  me  to 
go  with  her  to  another  tent  to  sleep,  so  I  went  to 
Henry  Jim's  tent,  where  I  sat  down.  They  had  no 
fire,  but  soon  made  one,  and  the  squaws  crowded 
around.  Henry  asked  me  a  few  questions.  He  said 
he  felt  very  bad  for  me.  He  said  he  told  the  Utes 
not  to  murder  the  people  at  the  agency.  He  had 
been  assisting  the  issuing  clerk  and  acted  as  interpre 
ter.  He  said  they  were  friendly  and  he  liked  them 


Il8  THE   UTE   WAR. 

i 

very  much.  He  said  the  Utes  told  him  he  was  noth 
ing  but  a  little  boy  for  refusing  to  kill  the  white  men 
at  the  agency,  but  when  they  called  him  a  boy  he 
said  it  was  too  much  for  him.  He  had  no  more  to 
say  after  that.  He  asked  me  if  I  was  going  to  stay 
all  night  in  his  tent.  I  said  the  squaw  had  brought 
me  over  there  to  sleep.  He  said,  'All  right;  you 
stay  here  all  night. '  So  his  squaw  made  me  a  very 
nice  bed  of  about  ten  blankets.  I  went  to  bed  and 
she  tucked  me  in  quite  nicely.  I  slept  well,  got  up, 
washed  myself,  combed  my  hair  and  felt  pretty  well. 
Henry's  squaw  cooked  breakfast.  She  made  bread 
and  prepared  some  coffee  and  fried  venison,  and  there 
was  another  squaw  who  brought  in  some  fried  pota 
toes. 

"  I  ate  breakfast  with  my  little  boy  in  my  arms,  and 
presently  Chief  Johnson  came  in,  looking  very  angry 
and  troubled.  He  said  gruffly,  '  Hallo,  woman  ! '  and 
shook  hands.  He  sat  down  and  presently  three  more 
Utes  came  in.  Johnson  got  out  his  pipe  and  they  all 
had  a  smoke  around,  and  they  talked  about  the  sol 
diers  and  their  big  battle. 

"  Henry  said  to  me  :  '  You  go  now  with  Johnson 
to  see  your  little  girl,  who  is  with  Josephine.'  So  I 
mounted  the  horse  behind  Chief  Johnson  and  rode 
about  five  miles,  and  when  I  came  up  to  Douglass's 
camp  I  first  saw  Mrs.  Meeker,  and  I  went  up  to  her, 
shook  hands  and  kissed  her,  and  felt  very  badly  for 
her.  She  said : 

" '  Don't  make  any  fuss. ' 

"  Josephine  and  my  little  girl  had  been  to  a  brook 
to  get  a  drink.  We  sat  down  and  had  a  nice  talk 
until  the  squaws  came  and  told  me  I  must  go  to 
Johnson's  tent  and  the  little  girl  to  Persune's.  Miss 
Josie  went  down  to  Johnson's  tent,  where  they  put 
down  Mrs.  Meeker's  comforter  for  me  to  sit  down  on, 


THE    UTE    WAR.  I  1 9 

and  asked  if  I  was  hungry.     I  told  them  yes,  and 
they  went  to  work  and  cooked  some  dinner  for  me. 

"  The  next  day  we  moved  from  that  place  to  another 
camp.  It  was  a  very  nice  place,  with  grass  two  feet 
high,  a  nice  brook  of  clear,  cool  water  flowing 
through  it.  The  Indians  had  killed  many  soldiers 


MRS.   PRICE   AND    HER    BABIES. 


and  were  prancing  around  in  their  coats  and  hats, 
putting  on  airs  and  imitating  soldiers,  and  making  fun 
of  them  while  going  through  a  burlesque  drill,  and 
making  believe  they  were  the  greatest  warriors  in  the 
west. 

"They  took  a  great  fancy  to^rny  little  child  and 
wanted  to  keep  him.     They  crept  into  the  tent  after 


I2O  THE  UTE  WAR. 

him,  and  when  they  found  they  could  not  steal  him 
they  offered  three  ponies  for  him. 

"  In  the  afternoon,  about  two  o'clock,  they  cut  a  lot 
of  sage  brush,  piled  it  up  and  spread  over  it  the 
clothes  they  had  stolen  from  the  soldiers.  Four  of 
the  Indians  then  began  to  dance  around  them,  and  at 
intervals  fell  on  their  knees  before  them  and  thrust 
their  knives  into  them  and  went  through  a  mimic 
massacre  of  soldiers.  Other  Utes  kept  joining  the 
party  that  was  dancing  until  a  ring  was  made  as  big 
as  a  good  sized  house.  They  would  first  run  away, 
then  turn  and  dance  back  the  other  way,  yelling  and 
hollowing  like  frescoed  devils.  They  had  war  suits, 
fur  caps  with  eagle  feathers,  and  they  looked  strangely 
hideous.  They  wanted  Miss  Josie  and  me  to  dance 
with  them.  We  told  them  we  could  not.  '  We  no 
sabe  dance.' 

"  That  afternoon  Mrs.  Meeker  came  over  and  we 
had  an  old-fashioned  talk.  She  told  us  her  troubles. 
They  harl  threatened  to  stab  her  with  knives,  she  said. 
Charley,  Chief  Douglass's  son-in-law,  soon  came 
around  in  a  very  bad  humor,  and  as  he  could  speak 
good  English  we  didn't  dare  to  talk  much  after  he 
appeared.  Mrs.  Meeker  said  she  felt  as  though  she 
might  be  killed  any  night ;  that  they  treated  her  very 
meanly.  Josephine  seemed  down-hearted,  though  she 
was  plucky.  I  tried  to  cheer  her  all  I  could. 

"  The  Indians  would  not  let  us  go  alone  any  dis 
tance  from  the  camp.  They  asked  me  if  I  had  any 
money,. and  I  told  them  I  did  not,  as  it  was  all  burned. 
We  asked  them  where  the  soldiers  were,  and  they 
said  they  were  down  in  that  cellar,  meaning  the  en 
trenchments.  They  said  the  Indians  would  lay  around 
on  the  mountains  and  kill  the  soldiers'  horses.  The  sol 
diers  would  not  appear  at  all  in  the  day  time.  At 


THE   UTE   WAR.  121 

night  they  would  slip  out,  only  to  be  shot  by  the 
Indians. 

"  They  threatened  if  I  attempted  to  run  away  they 
would  shoot  me.  Johnson  put  a  gun  to  my  forehead 
and  told  me  he  would  kill  me.  I  said : 

"  '  Shoot  away.  I  don't  care  if  I  die  ;  shoot-  if  you 
wan't  to. ' 

"  He  laughed  then,  and  would  say  :  '  Brave  squaw; 
good  squaw ;  no  scare. ' 

"  They  also  said  Josephine  would  very  soon  die,  as 
she  drank  no  coffee  and  ate  very  little.  I  told  them 
it  was  the  same  at  the  agency,  that  she  ate  little  and 
drank  no  coffee.  They  talked  it  over  among  them 
selves  and  said  no  more  about  it.  They  made  fun  of 
Mrs.  Meeker,  and  said  'maybe  the  Utes  will  kill  her.' 
I  said  to  them  :  '  No,  don't  you  kill  my  mother ;  I 
heap  like  her. '  '  All  right, '  they  would  say.  '  Pretty 
good  mother;  pretty  good  mother.'  Cojoe  pointed 
his  gun  at  me  and 'threatened  to  kill  me  many  times. 

'  The  Indians  held  considerable  conversation  with 
each  other  in  regard  to  the  massacre  and  tried  to  get 
information  from  us.  They  told  various  stories  how 
the  fight  occurred  and  who  were  concerned  in  it. 
From  all  that  I  heard  of  their  talk  I  think  Antelope 
or  Pauviets  shot  the  Agent.  Chief  Johnson  said  he 
shot  Thornburgh  in  the  forehead  three  times  with  his 
pistol,  and  then  got  off  his  pony  and  he  went  to  him 
and  pounded  him  in  the  head  and  smashed  his  skull 
all  in.  They  took  some  of  his  clothes  off,  but  I  did 
not  see  any  of  them  worn  in  camp.  The  Indians 
Ebenezer,  Douglass,  Persune,  Jim  Johnson  and  Char 
ley  Johnson  were  at  the  agency  massacre.  Jack  was 
not  there.  He  was  fighting  the  soldiers.  Johnson's 
brother  lata  was  killed  by  Frank  Dresser.  Washing 
ton  was  on  the  ground.  They  all  had  guns  and 
helped  to  shoot.  Josephine  said  she  saw  an  Indian 


122  THE   UTE   WAR. 

named  Creep  there.  I  did  not  see  any  of  the  bodies 
at  the  agency.  I  only  heard  the  firing  and  saw  the 
Indians  shooting  toward  the  buildings  where  the  men 
were  working. 

"  The  Utes  said  they  were  going  to  kill  all  the  sol 
diers,  and  that  the  women  should  always  live  in  the 
Utes'  camp,  excepting  Mrs.  Meeker.  Douglass  said 
she  could  go  home  by  and  by,  when  she  would  per 
haps  see  Frank  Dresser,  who,  the  Indians  thought, 
had  escaped.  They  made  me  do  more  drudgery  than 
they  did  Josephine.  They  made  her  cook  and  made 
me  carry  water.  They  told  me  to  saddle  the  pony, 
and  I  told  them  I  didn't  know  how. 

Mrs.  Meeker's  story  covers  many  points  of  interest 
not  touched  upon  by  either  her  daughter  or  Mrs. 
Price,  and  we  reproduce  it  also.  She  says: 

"  Douglass's  squaw  treated  me  very  well  for  one  or 
two  days ;  then  she  began  to  ill-use  me,  and  gave  me 
nothing  to  eat  for  one  day.  While  Douglass  was 
gone  his  son-in-law  told  me  frightful  stories.  He  said 
the  Indians  'no  shoot'  me,  but  would  stab  me  to 
death  with  knives.  One  squaw  went  through  the 
pantomime  of  roasting  me  alive — at  least  I  so  under 
stood  it.  Josephine  told  me  that  it  was  only  done  to 
torment  me.  If  Douglass  had  got  killed,  I  would 
probably  have  been  punished.  A  row  of  knives  was 
prepared,  with  scabbards,  and  placed  in  the  tent  for 
use.  Then  Douglass's  son-in-law,  Johnson,  came  to 
me  and  asked  if  I  had  seen  the  knives  being  fixed  all 
day.  I  said  '  Yes.'  He  replied  that  '  Indians  perhaps 
stab '  me  and  '  no  shoot '  me.  '  You  say  Douglass 
your  friend ;  we  see  Douglass  when  come  back  from 
soldiers.'  Many  of  the  squaws  looked  very  sorrow 
ful,  as  if  some  great  calamity  were  about  to  happen ; 
others  were  not  kind  to  me,  and  Freddie  Douglass, 
the  chief's  son,  whom  I  had  .taken  into  my  house  at 


THE   UTE   WAR.  123 

the  agency,  and  washed  and  taught  and  doctored  and 
nursed  and  made  healthy,  came  to  me  in  my  captivity 
and  mocked  me  worse  than  all  the  rest.  The  Doug 
lass  blood  was  in  him,  and  he  was  bad.  He  said  I 
was  a  bad  squaw  and  an  old  white  squaw.  He  tried 
to  steal  the  old  wildcat  skin  that  I  slept  on,  and  he 
stole  my  handkerchief  while  I  was  asleep  and  jeered 
me  during  my  imprisonment. 

"  Douglass  returned  from  fighting  the  soldiers  on 
Saturday  night.  On  the  next  day  his  wife  went  back 
to  the  agency  for  the  cabbages  raised  by  the  cultiva 
tion  the  Indians  professed  so  much  to  despise. 
Douglass  was  morose  and  sullen,  and  had  little  to  say. 
He  did  not  seem  to  be  satisfied  with  the  military  sit 
uation,  but  thought  the  Indians  would  annihilate  the 
soldiers.  Large  numbers  of  head  men  and  captains 
came  to  consult  Douglass.  They  were  in  and  out 
most  of  the  night,  making  speeches  and  discussing 
things  in  general,  as  though  the  fate  of  the  universe 
depended  on  their  decision.  Douglass  often  asked  us 
where  the  Agent  was.  I  said  that  I  did  not  know. 
Douglass  rejoined  that  neither  did  he  know.  Mrs. 
Douglass  treated  me  spitefully,  and  her  chief  was  not 
much  better,  though  he  .  gave  me  enough  to  eat. 
When  he  was  gone,  very  little  was  cooked." 

On  Sunday  night  Jack  came  to  camp  and  made  a 
big  speech,  as  also  did  Johnson.  They  said  more 
troops  were  coming,  and  they  recited  what  orders 
they  said  had  been  brought  from  Chief  Ouray.  They 
were  in  great  commotion,  and  did  not  know  what  to 
do.  They  talked  all  night,  and  the  next  morning 
they  struck  half  their  tents  and  put  them  up  again. 
Part  were  for  going  away,  part  for  staying,  and  being 
undecided  they  remained.  Jack's  men  were  all  day 
coming  up  into  camp,  and  all  left  on  Tuesday  morn 
ing  before  daylight  for  Grand  River  and  they  had  a 


124  THE  UTE  WAR- 

long  ride.  The  cavalcade  was  fully  two  miles  long. 
The  wind  blew  a  hurricane,  and  the  dust  was  so  thick 
that  Miss  Josephine  says  she  could  not  see  ten  feet 
back  on  the  line,  and  she  could  write  her  name  on  her 
hand  in  the  dust.  Most  of  the  Indians  had  had  no 
breakfast,  and  they  traveled  all  day  without  food  or 
water. 

"  It  was,"  says  Mrs.  Meeker,  "  a  very  long  and  ter 
rible  journey  that  I  made  that  day.  I  rode  a  pony 
with  neither  saddle  nor  bridle  nor  stirrups.  There 
was  only  a  tent  cloth  strapped  on  the  horse's  back, 
and  an  old  halter  to  guide  him  with.  It  was  the  most 
distressing  experience  of  my  life.  Not  a  single  halt 
was  made,  and  my  pain  was  so  great  that  the  cold 
drops  stood  on  my  forehead.  I  could  only  cling  to 
the  pony  by  riding  astride.  We  traveled  rapidly, 
over  mountains  so  steep  that  one  would  find  difficulty 
in  walking  over  them  on  foot.  The  dust  was  suffo 
cating,  and  I  had  neither  water  nor  dinner.  Josephine 
and  Mrs.  Price  rode  afhead.  One  of  the  mountains 
was  so  steep  that,  after  making  part  of  the  ascent, 
Douglass's  party  had  to  turn  back  and  go  around  it. 
This  incident  shows  what  hardships  delicate  women 
on  bare-back  horses  had.  to  endure.  We  reached  a 
camping  ground  half  an  hour  after  dark  and  pitched 
our  tents  in- the  valley.  I  was  so  faint  that  I  could 
not  get  off  the  horse  nor  move  until  a  kind  woman 
assisted  me  to  the  ground.  I  was  too  ill  and  exhausted 
to  eat,  and  I  went  to  bed  without  any  supper." 

The  camp  that  night  was  in  the  sage  brush.  The 
following  morning  (Wednesday)  they  moved  five 
miles  down  the  river. 


CHAPTER  Xir. 

MARCHING  ON  TO  THE  FINAL  CAMPING  PLACE EXPOSED 

TO  THE  WEATHER MISS  MEEKER'S  NOTE  TO  THE  UIN- 

TAH  AGENCY MRS.  MEEKER^S  GREAT  DEPENDENCE  ON 

JOSEPHINE — RENEWED  THREATS BITTER  TREATMENT 

OF  THE  OLD  LADY WAR  AND  MEDICINE  DANCES — 

MRS.  PRICE  TAKES  A  HAND — DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  UTE 

COUNTRY TRADITION   CONCERNING    IT THE   GOOD 

SQUAW  SUSAN — HER  GRATITUDE  FOR  PAST  KINDNESSES 

— A  TOUCHING  STORY — RESCUE  BY  GENERAL  ADAMS 

OUT  OF  BONDAGE-J-THE  JOURNEY  HOME — ORATIONS — 
LEADVILLE'S  RESOLUTIONS. 

The  Indians,  Johnson  apparently  in  charge,  re 
mained  on  Grand  River  with  their  captives  until  Sat 
urday.  While  there  Miss  Josephine  sent  a  note  to 
the  Uintah  Agency  in  Utah  by  Uintah  Utes,  who  were 
with  the  hostiles,  requesting  that  it  be  forwarded.  It 
read  as  follows : 

"  GRAND  RIVER,  40  to  50  Miles  from  Agency, 

"Oct.  10,  1879. 
"To  UINTAH  AGENT: 

"  I  send  this  by  one  of  your  Indians.  If  you  get  it 
do  all  in  your  power  to  liberate  us  as  soon  as  possible. 
I  do- not  think  they  will  let  us  go  of  their  own  accord. 
You  will  do  me  a  great  s'ervice  to  inform  Mary 
Meeker,  at  Greeley,  Col.,  that  we  are  well  and  may 
get  home  some  time.  Yours,  etc., 

"JOSEPHINE  MEEKER, 
"United  States  Indian  Agent's  daughter." 
The  note  was  written  with  a  lead  pencil  on  the 
back  of  a  piece  of  paper  which  had  formerly  done 


126  THE   UTE    WAR. 

service  as  a  dry  goods  label.  It  reached  Washington 
on  the  3Oth  of  October,  after  the  captives  were  liber 
ated,  and  was  not  then  of  the  service  it  might  have 
been  under  different  circumstances. 

The  mountains  were  very  high,  and  the  Indians  were 
on  the  peaks  with  glasses  watching  the  soldiers.  They 
said  they  could  look  down  on  the  site  of  the  agency. 
Johnson  had  field  glasses  and  all  day  he  was  watching 
the  soldiers,  and  would  only  come  down'to  his  supper. 
The  Indians  took  turns  watching  during  the  night,  and 
during  the  day  they  covered  the  hills  and  watched 
the  soldiers  through  their  glasses.  Runners  came  in 
with  foaming  steeds  constantly.  On  Saturday  morn 
ing  the  programme  was  for  twenty  Utes  to  go  back 
to  White  River,  scout  around  on  the  mountains  and 
watch  the  soldiers ;  but  just  as  they  were  about  to  de 
part  there  was  a  terrible  commotion,  for  some  of  the 
scouts  on  the  mountains  had  discovered  the  troops, 
ten  or  fifteen  miles  south  of  the  agency,  advancing 
toward  the  camp.  The  Indians  ran  in  every  direc 
tion,  the  horses  became  excited,  and  for  a  time  hardly 
a  pony  could  be  approached.  Johnson  flies  into  a 
passion  when  there  is  danger.  This  time  his  horses 
kicked  and  confusion  was  supreme.  Johnson  seized 
a  whip  and  laid  it  over  the  shoulders  of  his  youngest 
squaw,  named  Cooz.  He  pulled  her  hair  and  re 
newed  the  lash  until  she  cried  and  screamed.  He 
then  went  to  help  his  other  squaw,  Susan,  Chief 
Ouray's  sister,  pack  up.  They  put  Mrs.  Price  and  her 
baby  on  one  horse,  and  strapped  little  May  in  a 
blanket  behind  Josephine.  Johnson  was  very  mad 
and  pointed  his  gun  at  Mrs.  Price  and  Miss  Jose 
phine.  Mrs.  Price  told  him  to  shoot  away,  and  asked 
him  to  shoot  her  in  the  forehead.  He  said  : 

"  No,  good  squaw ;  no  scare. " 


THE    UTE    WAR. 


127 


They  then  started  for  another  camping  place  south 
of  the  Grand  River. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  the  camp  and  Miss 
Josephine  were  again  moved  twenty-five  miles  south 
to  a  point  on  Grand  River;  but  Mrs.  Meeker  and 
Mrs.  Price  did  not  come  up  for  three  or  four  days. 
The  rain  set  in  and  continued  two  days  and  three 
nights.  Miss  Josie*did  not  suffer,  for  she  was  in  camp, 
but  the  other  ladies  and  the  baby,  who  were  kept  on 
the  road,  were  soaked  each  day.  Johnson,  who  had 
Mrs.  Price,  went  beyond  the  camp  in  which  Miss 
Meeker  was  left,  and  all  the  other  Indians  behind 
camped  with  Johnson. 


DOCTOR  JOHNSON. 

Johnson's  oldest  wife  is  the  sister  of  Chief  Ouray, 
and  he  was  kinder  than  the  others.  His  wife  cried 
over  the  captives  and  made  the  children  shoes. 

The  •  Indians  said  they  would  stay  at  their  camp, 
and  if  the  soldiers  advanced,  they'would  get  them  in 
a  canon  and  kill  them  all.  They  said  that  neither 
American  soldiers  nor  American  horses  understood 


128  THE    UTE    WAR. 

the  country.  The  Utes  were  now  close  to  the  Un- 
compahgre  district,  and  could  not  retreat  much  farther. 
Colorow  made  a  big  speech,  arid  advised  the  Indians 
to  go  no  farther  south.  However,  they  were  removed 
one  day's  ride  to  Plateau  Creek,  a  little  stream  empty 
ing  into  Grand  River  from  the  south.  Eight  miles 
more  travel  on  two  other  days  brought  them  to  the 
camping  ground  where  General  Adams  found  them. 
This  was  near  to  Plateau  Creek,  but  high  up,  and  not 
•far  from  the  snowy  range. 

After  this  last  place  was  reached,  Douglass  permit 
ted  Josephine  to  see  her  mother  every  day,  and  the 
long  hours  were  more  endurable.  "  The  courage  of 
the  brave  girl  and  her  words  of  hope,"  says  Mrs. 
Meeker,  "cheered  me  very  much.  My  life  would  not 
have  been  safe  had  it  not  been  for  her  influence  with 
the  Indians.  She  could  speak  some  of  their  language, 
and  she  made  them  cease  terrifying  me  with  their 
horrible  threats  and  indecent  stories.  She  finally 
forced  Douglass  to  give  me  a  saddle,  so  that  in  the 
last  days  of  journeying  I  had  something  besides  a 
bare-back  horse  to  ride  upon.  It  gave  me  great  joy 
on  one  of  the  evenings  of  those  terrible  first  days  to 
have  her,  as  we  passed  each  other  in  the  moonlight, 
sing  out  cheerily : — 

"'Keep  up  good  courage,  mother;  I  am  all  right; 
we  shall  not  be  killed." 

The  last  evenings  of  the  stay  among  the  red  devils 
were  devoted  to  songs  and  merry  making  by  those 
who  were  not  away  on  the  mountains  watching  the 
soldiers.  Mrs.  Price  joined  in  some  of  the  choruses* 
because  it  helped  the  captives  and  made  the  Indians 
more  lenient.  They  told  a  great  variety  of  -stories 
and  cracked  jokes  on  each  other  and  on  the  white 
men.  They  had  dances  and  medicine  festivals. 
Speaking  of  these  trying  times  Mrs.  Price  says : 


THE    UTE    WAR.  1 2Q 

"  In  regard  to  my  days  of  captivity  I  can  only  say 
the  Indians  were  at  times  lively  and  joked  with  us,  so 
that  I  was  forced  to  laugh  a  good  many  times  at  their 
strange  humor  when  I  did  not  feel  like  it.  It  seemed 
to  please  them  very  much.  They  would  say  '  Biiena 
momets '  (good  woman).  When  Josephine  came  in 
they  would  say  she  was  cross.  She  was  very  much 
grieved,  and  when  her  blood  was  up  she  talked  to 
them  in  a  lively  strain  and  made  them  treat  Mrs. 
Meeker  better.  After  Johnson  and  Mrs.  Meeker  had 
talked  together  about  the  Agent,  Mrs.  Meeker  came 
to  Johnson's  to  stay.  He  treated  her  with  great  care. 
Previously  she  was  not  welcomed.  The  meanest 
thing  they  did  to  the  poor  little  woman  was  to  fright 
en  her  with  their  knives  and  horrible  grimaces  and 
bad  stones.  They  tried  to  scare  us  all  out  of  our 
wits." 

The  children  also  took  part  in  their  festivities  and 
sang  as  gleefully  and  loudly  as  if  real  papooses,  thus 
increasing  their  favor  with  the  Utes,  until  before  the 
captives  left  the  savages  made  Mrs.  Price  an  offer  of 
ten  ponies  for  them. 

The  singing  of  the  medicine  song  is  always  resort 
ed  to  when  an  Indian  is  sick,  and  Miss  Josephine  was 
favored  with  several  opportunities  to  witness  these 
ceremonies. 

As  a  usual  thing  no  whites  are  admitted  to  the 
tents  while  these  songs  are  in  progress,  but  she  being 
considered  one  of  Persune's  family,  was  allowed  to 
remain.  When  Persune's  child  was  sick  his  family 
asked  Josephine  to  sing  with  them,  which  she  did. 
The  Medicine  Man  kneels  close  to  the  sufferers,  with 
his  back  to  the  spectators,  while  he  sings  in  a  series 
of  high-keyed  grunts,  gradually  reaching  a  lower  and 
solemn  tone.  The  family  join,  and  at  intervals  he 
howls  so  loudly  that  one  can  hear  him  a  mile ;  then 
9 


130  THE   UTE    WAR. 

his  voice  dies  away  and  only  a  gurgling  sound  is 
heard,  as  if  his  throat  were  full  of  water.  The  child 
lies  nearly  stripped.  The  doctor  presses  his  lips 
against  the  breast  of  the  sufferer  and  repeats  the 
gurgling  sound.  He  sings  a  few  minutes  more,  and 
then  all  turn  around  and  smoke  and  laugh  and  talk. 
Sometimes  the  ceremony  is  repeated  all  night.  Miss 
Josie  assisted  at  two  of  these  medicine  festivals. 
Mrs.  Price's  boy  became  expert  at  singing  Ute  songs, 
and  the  children  sang  to  each  other  on  the  journey 
home.  The  sick  bed  ceremonies  were  very  strange, 
and  Miss  Meeker  says  weird,  and  more  interesting 
than  anything  she  saw  in  all  her  captivity  of  twenty- 
three  days. 

Frequent  war  dances  were  also  witnessed.  One 
of  their  favorite  amusements  was  to  put  on  a  negro 
soldier's  cap,  a  short  coat  and  blue  pantaloons,  and 
imitate  the  negroes  in  speech  and  walk.  The  captives 
could  not  help  laughing  because  they  were  so  accu 
rate  in  their  personations.  On  Sunday  they  made  a 
pile  of  sagebrush  as  large  as  a  washstand,  and  put 
soldiers'  clothes  and  a  hat  on  the  pile ;  then  they 
danced  a  war  dance  and  sang  as  they  waltzed  around 
it.  They  were  in  their  best  clothes,  with  plumes  and 
fur  dancing  caps,  made  of  skunk  skins  and  grizzly 
bear  skins,  with  ornaments  of  eagle  feathers.  Two  or 
three  began  the  dance,  and  others  joined,  until  a  ring 
as  large  as  a  house  was  formed.  There  were  some 
squaws,  and  all  had  knives.  They  charged  on  the 
pile  of  coats  with  their  knives  and  pretended  that  they 
would  burn  the  brush.  They  became  almost  insane 
with  frenzy  and  excitement.  The  dance  lasted  from 
two  o'clock  until  sundown. 

In  these  war  dances,  the  grotesque  and  horrible 
form  a  dreadful  accompaniment,  which  even  to  a  sav 
age  mind  can  be  excused  only  by  the  dread  uncertainty 


INDIAN   WAR    DANCE. 


132  THE    UTE   WAR. 

of  the  war  to  follow  the  uncouth  ceremony.  The 
devil  is  particularly  materialized  for  the  occasion,  and 
the  enemies  of  the  tribe  turned  over  to  his  domain, 
while  the  wild  bull  of  the  happy  hunting  grounds  is 
propitiated,  in  the  hope  that  his  prototypes  in  the  op 
posing  camp  will  become  the  loot  of  the  victors. 

Notwithstanding  these  hilarities,  however,  the  In 
dians  were  troubled  and  anxiQus  about  the  troops. 
Runners  were  constantly  coming  and  going.  The 
least  rumor  or  movement  of  the  soldiers  threw  the 
Indians  into  a  flutter.  Chief  Douglass  began  to  real 
ize  the  peril  of  the  situation.  Colorow  advised  them 
to  go  no  farther  south,  though  the  troops  were  moving 
down  from  the  north.  "They  had  better  fight,"  he 
said,  "  and  defend  their  camps,  than  retreat."  Chief 
Ouray,  the  friend  of  the  whites,  ^did  not  want  the 
White  River  Utes  on  his  domain.  Douglass  spoke  of 
the  agency  as  gone  forever.  He  said  it  would  have 
to  be  built  up  again.  The  Indians  had  lost  all,  and 
with  a  sigh  he  exclaimed: 

"  Douglass  a  heap  poor  man  now." 

When  he  had  time  he  fell  to  abusing  the  Agent, 
and  said  that  if  he  had  kept  the  troops  away,  there 
would  have  been  no  war. 

The  Indians,  when  in  camp,  spent  their  time  mold 
ing  bullets  from  lead  which  they  carried,  singing, 
drinking,  dancing,  holding  councils  to  discuss  the 
state  of  affairs,  and  in  referring  to  the  scenes  of  the 
few  preceding  days.  They  told  over  and  over  again 
the  story  of  the  White  River  massacre,  alleging  gross 
provocation  suffered  from  Meeker,  the  delay  of  the 
government  in  paying  them  what  it  owed,  and  the  ad 
vance  of  the  troops,  as  excuses.  They  said  that 
Colonel  Thornburgh  and  many  of  his  soldiers  were 
intoxicated  at  the  time  of  the  battle  on  Milk  Creek. 
They  also  denied  mutilating  the  bodies  of  their  vie- 


THE   UTE   WAR.  133 

tims.  They  repeated  and  re-repeated  the  assertion 
that  Agent  Meeker  was  a  bad  man ;  that  he  lied  about 
them,  and  would  not  issue  supplies  to  them  unless 
they  would  work ;  and  that  when  they  refused  to  work, 
he  threatened  to  bind  them  with  handcuffs  and  chains 
and  hang  them.  They  said  that  he  told  them  that 
Thornburgh  had  chains  with  him,  and  that  upon  his 
arrival  he  would  help  to  bind  and  hang  them.  [This 
probably  accounts  for  their  binding  Meeker's  body, 
as  at  the  agency,  where  the  body  lay,  when  first  seen  a 
chain  was  found  around  his  neck.]  They  said  that 
they  interviewed  Thornburgh  at  Bear  River  and  on 
Williams'  Fork  before  the  fight  on  Milk  River,  when 
he  appeared  haughty  and  would  not  afford  them  any 
explanation  or  satisfaction,  saying  that  he  was  a  big 
warrior,  too,  and  would  go  to  the  agency  with  his 
whole  command,  and  not  a  few  men  only,  as  they 
asked  him  to  do,  and  that  he  was  their  best  friend 
when  fighting  them ;  that  they  were  his  best  friends 
when  fighting  him,  although  they  might  kill  him; 
and  that,  while  so  talking,  he  held  a  loaded  carbine 
ready  in  his  hands  and  seemed  to  want  to  fight;  that 
thereupon,  they  determined  to  resist  his  march 
through  the  canon,  and  stationed  themselves  on  Milk 
River,  at  the  mouth  of  the  canon,  to  await  his  arrival 
and  show  their  determination.  Colonel  Thornburgh 
persisted  in  pursuing  his  march  toward  the  agency, 
and  the  fight  ensued  September  29th  on  Milk  River, 
Colonel  Thornburgh  being  one  of  the  first  to  fall,  the 
Indians  losing  twenty  men  in  the  first  day's  fight  and 
thirty-four  in  all  during  the  irregular  fight  of  six  days 
with  Thornburgh's  command,  two  of  the  thirty-four 
being  killed  in  the  skirmish  with  Merritt's  men  Sun 
day  morning,  October  5th,  upon  the  arrival  of  the 
relief  column. 

The  arrangements  for  a  fight  with  Merritt's  com- 


134 


THE   UTE   WAR. 


mand  they  said  were  most  complete.  Two  hundred 
Arapahoes,  according  to  account,  had  joined  Jack, 
and  many  others  from  the  neighboring  tribes,  and  had 
it  not  been  for  the  timely  arrival  of  Chief  Ouray's 
order  to  cease  fighting  the  name  of  Merritt  and  his 
command  would  have  passed  into  history  by  the  side 
of  Custer,  with  the  same  epitaph — "Annihilated  by 
Indians." 

They  seemed  especially  to  despise  Agent  Meeker 
and  the  efforts  which  had  been  made  to  improve  and 
civilize  them.  One  day  a  squaw  said  to  Mrs. 
Meeker : 

"What  could  you  expect?  The  Indians  had  to 
kill  the  whites,  because  neither  they  nor  the  Agent 
would  do  as  the  Utes  told  them  to  do. " 

Many  of  the  Indians  during  those  times  made  con 
fessions  which  may  well  be  used  to  their  detriment  in  the 
investigation  now  in  progress.  Chief  Johnson,  while 
speaking  of  the  battle  with  the  troops,  avowed  him 
self  to  be  the  one  who  fired  the  shot  which  killed 
Colonel  Thornburgh,  and  Mrs.  Price  in  relating  her 
experience  says :  '  While  Douglass  was  drunk  he 
told  me  a  lot  of  things  that  he  don't  know  of  now. 
If  he  had  ever  remembered,  he  would  have  killed  me. 
He  arranged  the  whole  thing,  and  the  soldiers  coming 
has  made  him  afraid,  and  he  is  trying  to  get  out  of  it 
now.  He's  the  smartest  and  meanest  of  them  all. " 

They  generally  agreed  that  Jack  led  the  fight  at 
Milk  River,  while  Douglass  conducted  the  massacre 
at  the  agency. 

Washington  expressed  himself  freely.  "  Meeker 
heap  fool,"  he  said  speaking  of  the  Agent.  "  Me  no 
likum  work.  Make  Washington  heap  tired.  Me 
shoot ;  me  no  work.  Me  killum  black  tail. "  Wash 
ington  did  not  like  Ouray,  and  was  not  especially 
friendly  towards  Douglass.  He  said  that  Ouray  had 


THE   UTfi   WAR.  135 

sold  Indian  land  and  put  the  money  which  he  had  re 
ceived  for  it  into  his  own  pocket.  In  fact  Washing 
ton  did  not  seem  to  like  any  Indian  except  himself. 
He  was  a  good  Ute — liked  the  white  man,  never 
troubled  the  whites,  wouldn't  lie  or  steal,  and  so  on. 
After  a  eulogy  on  his  virtues  he  took  carefully  from 
his  vest  pocket  a  soiled  envelope,  from  which  he  took 
a  piece  of  legal  cap  paper,  which  he  handed  to  his 
white  auditors  with  much  satisfaction  of  manner.  It 
was  a  "  character  "  and  read  about  as  follows  :  "  The 
bearer,  George  Washington,  is  a  good  Ute.  He  will 
not  steal  the  white  man's  horses,  nor  anything  else 
from  the  white  man."  The  signature  was  a  scrawl, 
which  meant  nothing.  When  the  paper  was  returned 
to  him  he  put  it  away  as  carefully  as  if  it  had  been  his 
last  dollar  bill  and  he  a  thousand  miles  from  home. 
It  is  needless  to  add  that  Washington  is  a  sneak  and 
a  scoundrel. 

While  remaining  here,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Gen 
eral  Adams  on  his  mission  of  mercy,  it  will  not  be  out 
of  place  to  give  the  reader  the  tradition  of  the  Indians 
in  regard  to  tfoe  geological  history  of  their  country, 
the  scene  of  the  tradition  being  laid  very  near  where 
the  Indians  were  then  encamped.  This  legend  is  to 
the  effect  that  the  forefathers  of  the  tribe,  long  years 
ago,  lived  near  a  vast  warm  lake  northeast  of  the  Big 
River;  that  the  country  was  warm,  full  of  big  trees 
and  big  deer  and  big  oxen  with  white  horns;  that  big 
fishes  and  snakes  as  long  as  an  hundred  lodge  poles 
abounded  in  this  lake;  that  one  day  all  the  big  oxen 
began  to  roar  together,  and  that  they  raised  such  a 
steam  from  their  nostrils  that  the  earth  reeled  and  the 
sun  was  obscured;  that  suddenly  the  lake  fell,  and 
continued  falling  for  three  moons,  and  then  became  so 
much  reduced  that  they  knew  it  not  any  more,  but 
that  the  big  lake  they  found  had  been  drained  away 


136  THE   UTE   WAR. 

to  the  south,  and  that  its  warm  water  had  gone  out 
through  the  mountains,  the  present  canon  of  Green 
River  and  of  the  Big  River  (the  Colorado);  and  that 
£his  old  bed  in  the  Toom-pin-to-weep,  as  they  call  the 
stream,  is  where  the  lake  waters  were  drained.  They 
also  say  that  the  story  goes  on  that  all  the  big  deer 
and  the  big  oxen  with  white  horns  strayed  away  east 
ward,  and  all  perished  in  the  mountains  from  cold  or 
by  the  arrows  of  the  Ute  hunters;  that  soon  after  a 
big  flood  formed  Grand  River  Canon,  and  after  this 
flood  came  a  small  race  of  people  who  had  skin  ca 
noes,  and  who  brought  seed  corn  of  a  small  kind, 
called  in  Spanish  chiquito  maze;  that  these  people 
were  almost  white,  and  that  they  taught  the  Utes  how 
to  make  good  spears  and  bows  and  earthenware ;  that 
they  built  stone  houses  in  the  cliffs,  and  cultivated 
pumpkins,  corn  and  beans;  that  they  had  silver  and 
gold  in  abundance,  and  iron  tools  that  they  had  ob 
tained  in  the  mountains  to  the  northeast;  that  after 
wards,  from  the  northwest,  came  big  red  Indians  over 
to  this  country  and  killed  and  drove  off  the  little 
people,  who  finally  all  went  south,  as  we'll  as  the  big 
red  men,  who  are  the  Apaches,  Navajoes  and  Kiowas. 
They  also  say  that  the  big  oxen  with  white  horns,  the 
grande  lagarios  (probably  alligators),  were  found  down 
among  the  Apache  and  Navajo  Indians,  but  that  by 
and  by  the  country  became  dryer  and  colder,  and  the 
Utes  only  were  left  on  the  Big  River  and  its  branches; 
that  melted  rocks  were  poured  out  everywhere  and 
left  the  country  desolate,  and  that  the  little  people  had 
told  their  forefathers  that  where  they  came  from  were 
big  waters,  and  in  these  waters  were  men  with  bodies 
like  a  fish.  They  say  that  in  this  old  river  bed  is 
plenty  of  gold,  but  that  it  is  sure  death  for  any  one  to 
go  into  the  canon  to  get  it. 

And  while  we  are  speaking  of  the  formation  of  the 


THE   UTE   WAR.  137 

land  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to  refer  to  it  now,  es 
pecially  as  there  are  good  grounds  for  hoping  that  it 
will  now  be  opened  to  settlement  by  the  removal  of 
the  Indians.  Speaking  of  the  nation  from  an  agricul 
tural  point  of  view,  General  Adams  says : 

"  It  is  good  for  nothing.  There  is  room  for  two  or 
three  good  cattle  ranches,  but  nothing  else.  The 
elevation  is  8,500  feet,  and  nothing  but  potatoes  will 
grow  there.  Out  of  the  12,000,000  acres  in  the  entire 
reservation,  perhaps  25,000  in  the  Uncompahgre  val 
ley  could  be  cultivated.  I  rode  one  hundred  miles 
along  the  Grand  River  and  did  not  find  in  the  whole 
distance  feed  for  my  horse.  One  year  the  govern 
ment  supported  a  farmer  on  the  reservation  at  $60  a 
month.  Besides  this  he  had  his  living.  He  raised  as 
the  result  of  this  year's  work  twelve  potatoes,  three 
heads  of  lettuce  and  two  bunches  of  radishes.  Ex 
cept  the  Uncompahgre  Valley  there  is  no  country 
worth  anything  for  farming." 

The  Uncompahgre  Valley  of  which  General  Adams 
speaks  is  a  lovely  strip  of  land  running  through  the 
southern  portion  of  the  reservation.  Settlers  have 
already  squatted  upon  portions  of  it,  which  yield 
splendid  crops  of  all  cereals,  corn,  garden  vegetables, 
including  potatoes,  turnips,  etc.  This  river  empties 
into  the  Grand,  which  is  also  skirted" by  pretty  valleys 
as  are  many  of  the  other  creeks  and  rivers.  In  Powell 
Bottom,  on  White  River,  Agent  Meeker  was  making 
excellent  progress  in  growing  wheat  and  potatoes. 
There  are  doubtless  many  valleys  besides  the  Uncom 
pahgre  which  would  produce  well;  and  as  for  the 
grazing,  it  is  unexcelled.  The  cattle  on  Bear  River 
are  always  in  better  condition  than  those  on  the 
plains,  and  the  agency  herd  at  White  River  were  in 
excellent  shape  when  the  massacre  began.  There  is 
no  conjecture  concerning  the  existence  of  mineral 


138  THE    UTE   WAR. 

wealth.  Iron  ore  and  splendid  coal  were  found  in  the 
greatest  abundance  near  White  River  Agency.  In 
deed  Mr.  Meeker  opened  up  five  or  six  coal  mines 
within  a  few  miles  of  his  location.  On  Anthracite 
Creek,  a  branch  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Gunnison 
River,  on  the  reservation,  Mr.  Richard  Irwin  has 
opened  up  a  bed  of  anthracite  coal  which  is  unex 
celled  anywhere  in  the  world.  The  best  coking  coal 
in  the  west  is  found  here. 

In  this  same  neighborhood  placer  gold  has  been 
found  in  large  quantities,  and  most  miners  believe  that 
quartz  lodes  of  both  gold  and  silver  will  be  found 
whenever  they  shall  be  afforded  an  opportunity  to 
search  for  them. 

Climatically  the  country  is  during  most  seasons  of 
the  year  more  pleasant  than  that  on  the  east  side  of 
the  mountains. 

The  scenery  is  beautiful.  Any  one  who  has  visit 
ed  the  wonderful  land  which  lies  "  over  the  range  " 
knows  how  impossible  it  is  to  put  on  paper  a  descrip 
tion  which  will  give  the  reader  anything  like  a  real 
izing  conception  of  the  country.  The  immense 
height  of  the  hills  and  loftier  crags  and  peaks,  the 
seemingly  immeasurable  depth  of  chasms  and  canons, 
the  wonderful  expansion  of  distances,  the  color  and 
character  and  density  of  brush  and  timber,  all  unite 
in  forming  a  veritable  terra  incognita  totally  unlike 
anything  which  lies  beyond  the  Missouri  River.  The 
fantastical  contortions  of  the  earth's  surface  are 
chiefly  due  to  volcanic  action,  of  which  evidences  ap 
pear  at  every  turn.  Great  cliffs  of  lava  ridge  the 
parks,  and  the  same  substance  is  found  intruded  be 
tween  strata  of  other  rock,  split  asunder  by  the  con 
vulsions  which  made  these  mountains  untold  centuries 
ago,  and  he  who  is  venturesome  enough  to  climb  the 
giddy  heights  will  every  now  and  then  come  upon  the 


THE   UTE   WAR.  139 

well  defined  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.  Fossils — 
unmistakable  sea  shells — have  been  dug  from  heights 
ten  or  eleven  thousand  feet  above  tidewater,  unques 
tionably  put  there  by  the  upheaval  which  lifted  these 
lofty  ranges  from  depths  below  the  sea.  From  two 
hundred  miles  east  from  the  White  River  Agency, 
extending  north  into  the  British  possessions,  south 
far  down  into  Mexico  and  westward  almost  to  the 
Pacific,  a  net  work  of  ranges,  whose  peaks  tower  from 
ten  to  fifteen  thousand  feet  above  sea  level — from  two 
to  six  or  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  rapid  rivers 
which  wind  through  the  narrow  valleys  between  them 
— are  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Although  the  great 
"  divide "  which  parts  the  waters  flowing  into  the 
two  great  oceans  is  termed  "  the  Snowy  Range,"  it  is 
not  proper  to  speak  of  the  Rockys  as  a  "  range  "  in 
the  sense  that  the  term  may  be  applied  to  the  Green 
Mountains  or  the  Alleghanies.  They  are  rather  a 
succession  of  interwoven  ranges,  extending  north  and 
south  the  whole  length  of  the  Continent,  and  almost 
a  thousand  miles  from  east  to  west. 

It  may  be  doubted  if  the  fiftieth  part  of  the  ter 
ritory  included  within  their  boundaries  is  capable  of 
tillage,  to  say  nothing  of  climatic  difficulties.  But 
the  whole  region  abounds  with  the  best  imaginable 
hiding  places  for  thousands  of  fugitives,  and  almost 
insurmountable  obstacles  to  invaders.  The  most 
available  passes  between  the  peaks  are  of  some  eleven 
thousand  feet  elevation,  while  many  others,  which 
must  be  crossed  to  reach  certain  districts,  are  much 
higher ;  and  all  of  them  impassable  for  six  or  seven 
months  of  the  year  except  on  snow  shoes.  As  the 
sun  advances  higher  and  higher  north  of  the  Equator 
these  great  snow  barriers  are  gradually  dissolved,  and, 
running  down  the  steep  declivities  in  thousands  of 
mountain  rivulets,  are  gathered  in  the  valleys  in 


I4O  THE   UTE   WAR. 

foaming  torrents,  tearing  through  numberless  inacces 
sible  canons  unbridged  and  unfordable,  except  at  rare 
intervals.  A  maze  of  trails  webs  the  whole  region, 
perplexing  and  misleading  the  stranger,  but  as  familiar 
to  the  roving  aborigines  as  the  streets  of  New  York 
to  the  native  gamin,  who  roams  all  over  the  island 
without  ever  looking  at  the  signs  at  street  corners, 
which  he  could  not  read  if  he  did.  There  is  hardly 
any  level  ground,  scarcely  one  acre  in  a  hundred. 
The  whole  country  is  up  and  down,  with  such  steep 
ascents  and  sharp  declivities  as  cannot  well  be  ima 
gined  by  those  who  have  not  seen  them. 

Short,  nutritious,  wild  mountain  grasses  grow  in 
profusion  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  hills,  and  even 
cover  the  lofty  mountain  tops,  far  above  timber  line, 
wherever  they  happen  not  to  be  naked  rock.  These 
grasses,  unlike  those  of  lesser  altitudes,  cure  on  the 
ground,  and  after  their  life  goes  out  retain  the  proper 
ties  of  hay.  Subsistence  for  animals  is,  therefore, 
abundant  so  long  as  it  is  not  covered  with  snow  or  the 
country  be  not  burned  over;  in  that  case  the  trans 
portation  of  forage  becomes  one  of  the  most  serious 
and  expensive  obstacles  to  invasion. 

But  this  wonderful  and  inaccessible  country — so 
full  of  peril  and  hardship  to  the  white  man — is  the 
home  of  the  Indian.  He  has  climbed  those  crags 
from  childhood  and  knows  every  trail  and  ford.  He 
has  learned  to  measure  those  heights  and  distances 
with  eyes  which  can  see  an  approaching  enemy  miles 
and  miles  away,  while  the  observation  is  unsuspected 
and  the  signals  which  telegraph  his  coming  from  peak 
to  peak  are  little  dreamed  of.  He  is  as  familiar  with 
every  nook  and  corner  of  this  rough,  wild  maze  for 
hundreds  of  miles  in  every  direction  from  his  agency 
as  any  farmer's  boy  of  sporting  proclivities  is  with  the 
woods  and  glens  and  thickets  which  lie  within  ten 


THE    UTE    WAR.  14! 

miles  of  his  paternal  acres.  The  light  air  has  no  de 
pressing  influence  upon  his  powers  and  endurance,  for 
he  has  run  and  leaped  and  climbed  and  hunted  in  it 
all  his  life.  He  does  not  suffer  from  the  cold  and 
snow,  for  he  has  learned  to  endure  and  protect  him 
self  against  them  winter  after  winter.  He  clothes 
himself  in  furs,  and  goes  forth  fearlessly  in  the  rough 
est  weather,  or  wraps  himself  in  buffalo  or  bear  skins 
and  sleeps  warm  and  comfortable  when  the  mercury 
is  out  of  sight.  Practice  has  taught  him  to  go  for 
days  without  eating,  and  if  it  is  not  convenient  to 
cook  the  game  he  lives  on,  he  will  take  it  raw  with 
equal  relish.  For  all  practical  purposes  there  is  no 
limit  to  the  number  of  his  ponies,  strong  of  limb  and 
sure-footed,  fleet  as  the  wind,  tough  and  hardy  as 
their  master,  accustomed  to  carry  him  one  hundred 
miles  in  a  day  whenever  called  upon,  to  climb  those 
steeps  and  swim  those  torrents,  and  to  subsist  and 
grow  fat  on  mountain  grass,  summer  and  winter,  paw 
ing,  when  necessary,  through  the  snow  to  find  it. 

On  Monday  night  the  captives  were  told  that  a 
white  man,  whom  they  called  Washington,  and  who 
proved  to  be  General  Adams,  would  come  soon.  At 
last  an  Uncompahgre  Ute  came  from  Chief  Ouray 
and  spoke  very  kindly,  and  as  he  sat  by  the  fire, 
said: 

"  To-morrow  five  white  men  coming  and  some  In 
dians." 

Among  them  would  be  "Chicago  man  Sherman,  a 
great  big  peace  man."  General  Adams  and  the  In 
dians  were  going  to  have  a  talk  and  the  captives 
would  go  home.  The  Uncompahgre  said  that  a 
wagon  would  be  waiting  at  a  certain  place  below  the 
plateau. 

Relating  the  arrival  of  the  Adams  party,  Miss  Jo 
sephine  says : 


142 


THE    UTE    WAR. 


"  The  next  day,  about  eleven  o'clock,  while  I  was 
sewing  in  Persune's  tent,  his  boy,  about  twelve  years 
old,  came  in,  picked  up  a  buffalo  robe  and  wanted  me 
to  go  to  bed.  I  told  him  I  was  not  sleepy.  Then  a 
squaw  came  and  hung  a  blanket  before  the  door,  and 
spread  out  both  hands  to  keep  the  blanket  down,  so  I 
could  not  push  it  away ;  but  I  looked  over  the  top  and 
saw  General  Adams  and  party  outside  on  horses. 


GENERAL  ADAMS. 


The  squaw's  movements  attracted  their  attention,  and 
they  came  up  close.  I  pushed  the  squaw  aside  and 
walked  out  to  meet  them.  They  asked  my  name  and 
dismounted;  said  they  had  come  to  take  us  back,  if 
we  cared  to  go.  I  -showed  them  the  tent  where  mother 
and  Mrs.  Price  were  stopping,  and  the  General  went 
down,  but  they  were  not  in;  for,  meanwhile,  Johnson 
had  gone  to  where  they  were  washing,  on  Plateau 
Creek,  and  told  them  that  a  council  was  to  be  held, 


THE    UTE    WAR.  143 

) 

and  that  they  must  not  come  up  until  it  was  over. 
Dinner  was  sent  to  the  ladies,  and  they  were  ordered 
to  stay  there.  About  four  o'clock,  when  the  council 
ended,  General  Adams  ordered  them  to  be  brought  to 
him,  which  was  done,  and  once  more  we  were  all  to 
gether  in  the  hands  of  our  friends." 

We  now  quote  Mrs.  Meeker : 

"When  I  first  saw  General  Adams  I  could  not  say 
a  word,  my  emotion  was  so  great.  We  had  borne  in 
sults  and  threats  of  death,  mockery  and  ridicule,  and 
not  one  of  us  had  shed  a  tear,  but  the  sight  of  General 
Adams,  Captain  Cline,  Mr.  Sherman  and  their  men 
was  too  much  for  me.  My  gratitude  was  greater  than 
my  speech.  We  owe  much  to  the  wife  of  Johnson. 
She  is  Ouray 's  sister,  and,  like  him,  she  has  a  kind 
heart.  Ouray  had  ordered  us  to  be  well  treated  and 
that  we  should  be  allowed  to  go  home. 

"  The  council  was  a  stormy  one.  Various  opinions 
prevailed.  The  war  party  wanted  us  held  until  peace 
should  be  made  between  the  Indians  and  the  govern 
ment.  They  wanted  to  set  us  against  the  guilty  mur 
derers,  so  as  to  save  them  through  us.  After  a  few 
hours  of  violent  speeches,  Mrs.  Johnson  burst  into 
the  lodge,  in  a  magnificent  wrap,  and  demanded  that 
the  captives  should  be  set  free,  war  or  no  war.  Her 
brother  Ouray  had  so  ordered,  and  she  took  the  as 
sembly  by  storm.  She  told  the  pathetic  story  of  the 
captives,  and  advised  the  Indians  to  do  as  Ouray  re 
quested  and  trust  to  the  mercy  of  the  government. 
General  Adams  said  he  must  have  a  decision  at  once, 
or  he  would  have  to  leave.  That  settled  it,  and  we 
were  set  free. 

"  Next  morning,  when  we  were  about  to  start  for  the 
wagon,  which  was  a  day's  journey  to  the  south,  Chief 
Johnson,  who  was  slightly  cool  toward  us,  threw  out 
a  poor  saddle  for  me  to  ride  upon.  His  wife  Susan 


144  THE    UTE    WAR. 

caught  sight  of  it  and  was  furious.  She  flung  it  away 
and  went  to  a  pile  of  saddles  and  picked  out  the  best 
one  in  the  lot.  She  found  a  good  blanket,  and  gave 
both  to  me.  Then  she  turned  to  her  chief  and  poured 
out  her  contempt  with  such  effect  that  he  was  glad  to 
sneak  away. 

"  So  long  as  I  remember  the  tears  which  this  good 
woman  shed  over  the  children,  the  words  of  sympathy 
which  she  gave,  the  kindness  that  she  continually 
showed  to  us,  I  shall  never  cease  to  respect  her  and 
to  bless  the  goodness  of  her  brother,  Ouray,  the 
Spanish-speaking  chief  of  the  south.  I  trust  all  the 
good  people  will  remember  them." 

All  the  ladies  agree  that  Susan  was  uniformly  kind 
and  pleasant.  Mrs.  Price  says  : 

"Johnson's  wife  was  very  kind.  She  treated  me 
just  like  a  mother,  though  sometimes  when  tired  she 
would  order  me  to  get  water.  She  treated  my  little 
girl  very  kindly,  made  moccasins  for  her,  and  she 
grieved  over  her  and  my  boy  as  if  they  were  her 
own.  She  said  the  Utes  had  killed  the  child's  papa ; 
'  Utes  no  good. '  She  was  for  peace.  She  was  Chief 
Ouray 's  sister,  and  Ouray  was  friendly  to  the  whites, 
and  had  sent  messages  to  her  to  see  that  the  whites 
were  not  abused  and  should  be  returned  soon. " 

In  this  connection  a  story  coming  from  the  lips  of 
Major  Whitely,  who  was  for  several  years  Agent  at 
White  River,  will  be  found  of  great  interest.  The 
Major  relates  that  while  on  his  way  to  the  Hot  Sul 
phur  Springs,  in  Middle  Park,  he  was  overtaken  by  a 
messenger  from  Governor  Evans,  who  informed  him 
of  the  rescue  of  a  Ute  squaw  from  the  Arapahoes  and 
Cheyennes  by  the  officers  of  the  United  States  Army 
at  Fort  Collins.  These  Indians  had  captured  this 
squaw  in  some  of  their  raids,  and,  while  encamped 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Cache  La  Poudre,  had  deter- 


THE   UTE   WAR.  145 

mined  to  burn  her  at  the  stake.  The  commanding 
officer  at  Fort  Collins  hearing  of  this,  took  a  detach 
ment  of  troops,  and  by  alternate  threats  and  promises 
obtained  her  release,  after  she  had  already  been  tied 
to  the  stake  and  the  fires  lighted.  This  squaw  was 
forwarded  to  Major  Whitely,  and  after  her  arrival  at 
Hot  Springs  was  sent  by  him  to  her  people,  being  ac 
companied  by  U.  M.  Curtis,  the  Major's  interpreter, 
and  delivered  to  them  after  a  journey  across  the  west 
ern  portion  of  Colorado  into  the  border  of  Utah,  to 
the  camp  of  the  Indians  on  the  Snake  River,  where 
she  was  received  with  every  demonstration  of  joy  by 
the  tribe.  Major  Whitely  gave  this  squaw  the  name 
of  Susan,  which  she  has  borne  ever  since.  A  remark 
able  coincidence  in  this  story  is  that  the  rescued 
Meekers  came  from  Greeley,  which  is  the  identical 
spot  where  Susan  herself  was  saved  from  burning  by 
the  whites. 

The  rescue  party  found  the  captives  picturesquely 
attired  in  woolen  blanket  dresses  made  by  themselves 
with  needles  and  O.  N.  T.  Miss  Josie's  costume  was 
the  most  striking.  Her  dress  was  made  of  an  Indian 
blanket,  plain  skirt  and  long  jacket  waist  with  tight 
sleeves.  The  blanket  stuff  was  dark  brown,  the  broad 
yellow  stripes  in  the  goods  acting  as  a  border  around 
the  bottom  of  the  dress  and  the  flowing  waist.  Her 
feet  were  encased  in  moccasins,  and  on  her  head  was 
a  broad  white  sombrero.  Miss  Meeker,  though  by  no 
means  a  handsome  young  lady,  is  bright  and  attrac 
tive  in  appearance.  She  rs  a  blonde  and  naturally  of 
fair  complexion,  though  now  sun-burned.  Her  hair 
is  cut  short  to  the  neck,  a  sacrifice  she  made  after 
becoming  a  captive  on  account  of  the  vermin  which 
swarmed  everywhere.  Mrs.  Price  is  a  young  lady 
yet.  Though  but  twenty-three  years  of  age,  she  has 

been  married  eleven  years.     She  is  a  neutral,  natural- 
10 


146  THE    UTE   WAR. 

ly  bright  and  active,  but  just  now  the  death  of  her 
husband  and  her  terrible  experience  has  saddened 
her.  Mrs.  Price  was  dressed  in  a  plain  woolen  dress, 
which  she  wore  when  taken  captive.  She,  however, 
exchanged  it  for  a  "blanket"  dress  similar  to  that 
worn  by  Miss  Meeker.  She  also  wore  a  sombrero. 
The  two  little  children,  May  and  Johnnie,  wore  their 
agency  clothes,  sadly  tattered  and  torn. 

Relating  her  experience  in  the  camp  Miss  Meeker 
says :  "  In  camp  I  worked  all  the  time  and  so  did 
Mrs.  Price.  We  baked  and  sewed  and  kept  busy  and 
as  cheerful  and  indifferent  as  we  could.  Besides 
making  myself  some  clothes  I  made  a  lot  of  clothes 
for  the  young  Indians,  at  which  they  were  pleased. 
The  Indians  said  we  would  be  kept  there  all  winter, 
and  so  while  I  expected  that  such  would  not  be  the 
case,  I  concluded  to  make  some  clothes  for  myself, 
especially  as  those  I  had  were  all  banged  up. " 

After  they  were  released  they  stopped  all  night  at 
Johnson's  camp,  and  started  early  the  next  morning 
on  ponies  for  the  wagons,  which  had  been  left  at  the 
end  of  the  road,  about  forty  miles  south  toward  the 
Uncompahgre  River.  General  Adams  had  left  them 
and  gone  to  see  the  soldiers,  so  Captain  Cline  was  in 
charge  of  the  party  and  the  escort  to  the  wagons  on 
the  way  back.  The  Indian  escort  which  had  accom 
panied  them  for  a  time,  left  them,  and  Captain  Cline 
grew  suspicious.  He  was  an  old  pioneer,  had  served 
in  the  army,  and  had  fought  the  Indians  in  New 
Mexico,  and  traveled  over '  the  western  country  so 
much  that,  although  a  great  friend  of  Ouray  and  his 
Indians,  still  he  was  suspicious  of  these  savages,  and 
thought  that  while  the  escort  had  been  with  the 
White  River  Indians  they  had  become  corrupted.  So 
when  he  saw  that  they  had  left  them  he  put  spurs  to 
his  horse  and  rushed  on  ahead  of  the  party  to  where 


THE   UTE    WAR.  147 

the  wagons  were.  He  was  afraid  that  they  would  cut 
the  harness  to  pieces  or  do  some  mischief  to  prevent 
the  captives  from  leaving  immediately.  This  would 
keep  them  in  the  neighborhood,  so  that  in  case  Gen 
eral  Adams  failed  in  stopping  hostilities  by  a  general 
pow-wow  they  could  recapture  them  and  'hold  them 
as  hostages  for  a  further  treaty. 

Captain  Cline  reached  the  wagons  in  a  short  time 
and,  as  he  suspected,  found  the  Indians  seated  around 
the  wagons  in  a  body  with  most  of  the  blankets  lying 
on  the  ground  already  divided  among  them.  They 
had  also  got  hold  of  the  boxes  of  provisions  and 
canned  fruit  which  General  Adams  had  brought  from 
Los  Pinos  for  the  captives.  They  had  burst  them 
open  and  were  eating  the  contents.  Captain  Cline  is 
personally  acquainted  with  many  of  the  Indians,  and 
he  completely  astonished  them.  Jumping  off  his 
horse  he  threw  the  reins  on  the  ground,  and,  rushing 
forward  in  great  anger,  he  shouted  :  "  Chief  Ouray 
shall  hear  of  this,  and  will  settle  with  you !" 

The  Captain  then  picked  up  an  axe  and  began  to 
split  kindling  wood  to  prepare  for  the  captives.  His 
object  was  to  keep  the  axe  in  his  hand  and  be  master 
of  the  situation  until  the  main  party  should  arrive. 
He  feared  treachery,  and,  putting  on  a  bold  front,  he 
made  it  pretty  li\  ely  for  the  Indians.  They  fell  back, 
got  off  the  blankets  and  gave  up  the  canned  fruit. 
Captain  Cline  threw  the  blankets  on  the  wagon  with 
what  canned  provisions  there  were  left.  Shortly  after 
this  occurrence  the  party  arrived  with  Major  Sher 
man.  They  then  traveled  on  to  Chief  Ouray's 
house. 

Captain  Cline  was  met  by  Ouray  at  the  gate.     The 
good  chief  looked  at  him  a  moment  and  said  : 

"  Captain,  tell  me  how  you  found  things  when  you 
reached  the  wagons; " 


148  THE   UTE   WAR. 

The  Captain  was  surprised,  but  narrated  the  facts 
as  stated.  Ouray  listened  a  moment  and,  grimly 
smiling,  said : 

"  Yes,  you  reached  the  wagons  at  such  a  time  and 
you  found  Utes  around  the  wagons  eating  fruit.  I 
know  all  about  it.  Ouray  not  a  fool.  I  had  good 
and  true  Indians  in  the  mountains  around  the  wagons. 
They  look  down  and  see  bad  Indians,  and  then  when 
wagons  start  safely  the  good  Indians  run  back  to 
Ouray  on  fast  horses ^nd  tell  Ouray,  and  Ouray  make 
up  his  mind  about  it.  Bad  Ute  can't  fool  Ouray. " 

The  chief  said  this  in  broken  English  to  the  Cap 
tain,  but  when  he  spoke  to  Mr.  Pollock  he  conversed 
in  eloquent  and  melodious  Spanish,  for  he  had  been 
educated  among  the  Spanish  Mexicans  of  Taos,  down 
on  the  border,  and  his  words  are  always  delivered 
with  great  fluency. 

Ralph  Meeker,  son  of  the  Agent,  Inspector  Pollock 
and  Dr.  J.  H.  Lacy,  the  agency  physician,  came  down 
to  meet  the  ladies  within  a  few  minutes  after  their  ar 
rival.  Ralph  Meeker's  meeting  with  his  mother  and 
sister  was  exceedingly  affecting,  Mrs.  Meeker  giving 
way  entirely  to  her  emotion. 

They  were  well  treated  at  Ouray's  house.  It  had 
Brussels  carpet,  window  curtains,  stoves,  good  beds, 
glass  windows,  spittoons,  rocking  chairs,  camp  stools, 
mirrors  and  an  elegantly  carved  bureau.  They  were 
received  as  old  and  long-lost  friends.  Ouray 's  wife, 
Chapeta,  wept  for  their  hardships,  and  her  motherly 
face,  dusky,  but  beautiful  with  sweetness  and  compas 
sion,  was  wet  with  tears.  They  left  her  crying.  * 

From  this  point  the  party,  now  headed  by  Ralph 
Meeker,  took  the  United  States  mail  coaches,  with 
fleet  horses  and  expert  drivers.  The  journey,  over 
lofty  mountains  for  three  days  and  one  night,  brought 
them  out  of  the  San  Juan  country  to  the  swiftly  flow- 


THE   UTE   WAR.  149 

ing  Rio  Grande.  The  Indian  reservation  was  seventy 
miles  behind  them.  Two  ranges  of  mountains  lay 
between  them  and  that  land  of  captivity  and  terror. 
They  could  not  forget  the  noble  Ouray  and  his  true 
friends  who  lived  there,  yet  it  made  their  tired  hearts 
beat  rapturously  when  they  saw  the  steam  cars  at 
Alamosa. 

At  Alamosa  they  remained  two  days,  the  guests  of 
Judge  C.  D.  Hayt.  Coming  on  to  Denver,  they  re 
mained  two  days,  and  then  passed  on  to  Greeley. 
They  were  received  everywhere  most  cordially,  and 
were  welcomed  back  in  words  of  love  and  warmest 

greeting. 

****** 

It  may  be  added  that  the  captives  are  rapidly  re 
covering  from  the  bad  effects  of  their  trying  experi 
ences.  Mrs.  Meeker  and  Mrs.  Price  and  her  babies 
are  at  home  at  Greeley,  and  Miss  Josephine  has  begun 
a  lecture  tour  which  promises  to  yield  her  a  rich 
harvest.  She  relates  her  thrilling  story  in  plain,  but 
strong  language.  Up  to  this  time  she  has  lectured 
once  in  Greeley  and  twice  in  Leadville.  At  the  latter 
place  she  was  rapturously  received,  and  after  the  close 
of  her  first  lecture  the  following  series  of  resolutions, 
offered  by  Lieutenant  Governor  Tabor,  were  adopted 
by  a  unanimous  and  rising  vote: 

WHEREAS,  The  citizens  of  Leadville  have  assembled 
this  evening  to  listen  to  the  recital  of  the  foul  murder 
committed  on  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  State 
at  the  White  River  Agency ;  and 

WHEREAS,  These  Utes  occupy  the  finest  and  richest 
portion  of  Colorado,  and  utterly  refuse  to  cultivate  the 
soil  and  allow  others  to  do  so, 

-  Resolved,  That  the  whole  so-called  Ute  Reservation 
is  not  worth  the  life  of  their  best  friend,  whom  they 
so  foully  massacred  on  the  2Qth  of  September. 


I5O  THE   UTE   WAR. 

Resolved,  That  we  condemn  the  Indian  policy  of 
the  United  States  government,  in  allowing  our  citizens 
to  be  murdered  by  the  Indian  fiends. 

Resolved,  That  the  Ute  Indians  must  and  shall  be 
removed  outside  the  border  of  our  State,  or  that  it 
will,  be  our  duty  to  make  them  peaceable  Indians. 

Resolved,  That  we  heartily  applaud  the  resolution 
and  courage  of  Miss  Josephine  Meeker  in  telling  the 
story  of  the  outrages  and  sufferings  endured  by  her 
self,  her  family  and  associates,  and  we  commend  her 
to  the  friendship  and  courtesies  of  those  who  desire 
to  know  the  true  inwardness  and  want  of  principle  of 
the  noble  red  man. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

BIOGRAPHICAL  NOTES — MAJOR  THORNBURGH'S  LIFE  AND 

DEATH SKETCH   OF   LIEUTENANT  WEIR FATHER 

MEEKER  AND  HIS  FAMILY THE  INDIAN  CHIEFS  — 

OURAY'S  CAREER — KILLING  OF  OSEPAH — COJOE'S  CON 
DUCT  —  INTERESTING    STORY    OF    JACK'S    LIFE DR. 

JOHNSON'S  BRAVERY — DOUGLASS'S  MEANNESS — BILLY — 
PI  AH — WASHINGTON — COLOROW. 

A  few  words,  we  are  sure,  in  regard  to  the  careers 
of  those  who  have  figured  in  this  history,  will  be  ac 
ceptable  to  the  reader,  and  render  the  book  all  the 
more  complete. 

First,  as  regards  Agent  Meeker:  The  annals  of 
Indian  crime  do  not  contain  mention  of  a  darker  deed 
than  the  murder  of  Hon.  Nathan  C.  Meeker — Father 
Meeker,  as  he  was  called  throughout  Colorado,  a 
name  which  had  taught  many  who  had  never  seen 
him  to  love  him.  In  the  death  of  Father  Meeker,  a 
good  man  has  passed  away.  He  was  kind  and  good 
to  all,  and  to  none  more  than  to  the  Indians.  When 
Mr.  Meeker  was  appointed  Agent  at  White  River  the 
Indians  were  really  suffering  for  want  of  the  food  and 
clothing  which  the  government  had  failed  to  furnish 
them.  Some  of  the  preceding  Agents  had  utterly 
neglected  their  business.  The  new  Agent  went  to 
work  with  his  accustomed  energy,  and  with  that  dis 
play  of  conscientiousness  which  characterized  him  in 
all  his  undertakings  and  in  all  of  his  dealings  with  his 
,  fellow-beings,  to  make  the  agency  satisfactory  both  to 
the  government  and  the  Indians.  He  labored  ever  so 
hard,  and  pursued  an  honest,  even  course. 


152  THE   UTE   WAR. 

Mr.  Meeker  was  about  sixty-four  years  old.     He 
was  born  in  Euclid,  Ohio,  near  Cleveland.     The  place 
is  now  known  as  Callamer.     At  an  early  age  he  began 
to  write  poems  and  stories  for  the  magazines.     When 
he  was  still  in  his  boyhood  he  traveled  on  foot  most 
of  the  way  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  arrived  without 
money  or  letters  of  recommendation.     He  succeeded 
in  getting  work  on  the  local  staff  of  one  of  the  city 
papers,  which  barely  gave  him  a  living.     In  a  year  or 
two  he  returned  to  Cleveland,  and  taught  school  until 
he  could  earn  enough  to  pay  his  way  to  New  York, 
whither  he  went  with  the  friendship  of  George  D. 
Prentice,   whom    he   had   met   during   his   southern 
travels.     In  New  York  he  was  encouraged  by  N.  P. 
Willis,  and  he  contributed  poems  and  sketches  regu 
larly   to   the    New   York  Mirror,  a  literary  journal 
edited  by  Willis,  and  .which  attracted  considerable  at 
tention  from  good  writers  of  that  day.     The  young 
man's  style  was  quaint  and  somewhat  melancholy, 
and  his  poems  were  copied,  but  he  could  scarcely 
earn  bread  to  eat  and  his  sufferings  were  so  great  that 
he  abandoned  poetry  for  the  rest  of  his  life.     He 
managed  to   raise  money  enough  to  enable  him  to 
proceed  on   foot  to   Pennsylvania,  where  he  taught 
school  and  continued  his  literary  studies.     Afterward 
he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  in  1844,  when  about  thirty 
years    old,    married   the   daughter  of  Mr.  Smith,  a 
retired  sea  captain,  at  Claridon,  and  took  his  bride  to 
what  was  known  as  the  Trumbull  Phalanx,  which  was 
just  being  organized  at  Braceville,  near  Warren,  Ohio. 
The  society  was  a  branch  of  the  Brook  Farm  and  the 
North  American  Phalanx,  of  which  Hawthorne,  Cur 
tis  and  Greeley  were  leading  members.     The  Ohio 
Phalanx  was  composed  of  .young  and  ardent  admirers 
of  Fourier,  the  socialist.     There  was  no  free  love,  but 
the   members  lived  in  a  village,  dined  at  common 


THE    UTE   WAR.  153 

tables,  dwelt  in  separate  cottages  and  worked  in  the 
community  fields  together,  and  allowed  the  proceeds 
of  all  their  earnings  to  go  into  a  common  fund. 
Manufactories  were  established,  the  soil  was  fertile, 
and  prosperity  would  have  followed/had  all  the  mem 
bers  been  honest  and  the  climate  healthful.  Fever 
and  ague  ran  riot  with  the  weeds,  and  the  most 
selfish  and  avaricious  of  the  Arcadian  band  began  to 
absorb  what  really  belonged  to  the  weaker  ones,  who 
did  most  of  the  hard  labor.  Mr.  Meeker,  who  was 
one  of  the  chief  workers,  was  glad  to  get  away  alive 
with  his  wife  and  two  boys,  the  youngest  of  whom 
was  born  shaking  with  the  ague.  Mr.  Meeker  was 
the  librarian  and  chief  literary  authority  of  the  com 
munity,  but  he  lost  most  of  his  books,  and  when  he 
reached  his  Cleveland  home  he  had  but  a  few  dollars. 
In  company  with  his  brothers  he  opened  a  small  store 
and  began  business  on  a  "  worldly "  basis ;  and  he 
prospered  so  that  he  was  invited  to  join  another  com 
munity,  the  disciples  and  followers  of  Alexander 
Campbell,  a  Scotch-Irishman,  the  founder  of  the  reli 
gious  sect  the  members  of  which,  are  sometimes 
called  "  Campbellites."  General  Garfield  is  a  follower 
of  this  faith,  and  he  became  a  fellow  townsman  of 
Mr.  Meeker.  The  "  disciples  "  were  building  a  large 
college  at  Hiram,  Ohio,  and  Mr.  Meeker  moved  his 
store  thither  and  received  the  patronage  of  the  school 
and  church.  While  there  he  wrote  a  book  called 
"The  Adventures  of  Captain  Armstrong."  In  1856, 
when  the  great  panic  came,  he  lost  nearly  everything. 
Then  he  moved  to  southern  Illinois,  and,  with  the 
remnants  of  his  goods,  opened  a  small  store  near 
Dongola,  in  Union  county.  For  several  years  his 
boys  "  ran  "  the  store,  while  he  worked  a  small  farm 
and  devoted  his  spare  hours  to  literature.  His  cor 
respondence  with  the  Cleveland  Plaindealer  attracted 


154  THE  UTE  WAR. 

the  attention  of  Artemus  Ward,  and  the  result  was  a 
warm  and  personal  friendship.  When  the  war  broke 
out  he  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Tribune  on  the  southwest 
ern  political  leaders  and  the  resources  of  the  Missis 
sippi  Valley.  Horace  Greeley  telegraphed  to  A.  D. 
Richardson,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  Tribune  at 
Cairo,  this  dispatch : 

"  Meeker  is  the  man  we  want." 

Sidney  Howard  Gay  engaged  him,  and,  after  serving 
as  a  war  correspondent  at  Fort  Donelson  and  other 
places,  at  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Meeker  was  called 
to  New  York  to  take  charge  of  the  agricultural  de 
partment  and  do  general  editorial  work  on  the  Tribune. 
He  wrote  a  book  entitled  "  Life  in  the  West,"  and  his 
articles  on  the  Oneida  Community  were  copied  into 
leading  German,  French  and  other  European  journals. 
In  1869  he  was  sent  to  write  up  the  Mormons,  but 
finding  the  roads  beyond  Cheyenne  blockaded  with 
snow  he  turned  southward  and  followed  the  Rocky 
Mountains  down  to  the  foot  of  Pike's  Peak,  where  he 
was  so  charmed  with  the  Garden  of  the  Gods  and  the 
unsurpassed  scenery  of  that  lovely  region,  where 
birds  were  singing  and  grasses  growing  in  the  moun 
tains,  that  he  said  if  he  could  persuade  a  dozen 
families  to  go  thither  he  would  take  his  wife  and  girls 
to  live  and  die  there.  Mr.  Greeley  was  dining  at  the 
Delmonico  when  he  heard  of  it. 

"Tell  Meeker,"  exclaimed  he,  "to  go  ahead.  I 
will  back  him  with  the  Tribune. " 

A  letter  was  printed,  a  meeting  held,  subscriptions 
invited,  and  $96,000  were  forwarded  to  the  treasurer 
immediately.  Mr.  Meeker  was  elected  president  of 
the  colony  and  Horace  Greeley  made  treasurer.  So 
many  applications  were  sent  in  that  it  was  thought  a 
larger  tract  of  land  would  be  needed  than  seemed  to 
be  free  from  incumbrance  at  Pike's  Peak.  Several 


THE   UTE   WAR.  155 

miles  square  of  land  were  bought  on  the  Cache-la- 
Poudre  River,  where  the  town  of  Greeley  now  stands, 
and  several  hundred  families  were  established  in  what 
had  been  styled  "  The  Great  American  Desert. " 
Horace  Greeley's  one  exhortation  was : 

"  Tell  Meeker  to  have  no  fences  nor  rum. " 

On  this  basis  the  colony  was  founded.  To-day 
Greeley  has  3,000  population,  a  hundred  miles  of  irri 
gating  canals,  a  fine  graded  school,  and  it  is  the  capi 
tal  of  a  county  160  miles  long. 

He  was  one  of  Colorado's  Commissioners  to  the 
Centennial  Exposition,  and  soon  after  Mr.  Hayes  be 
came  President,  Mr.  Meeker  was  appointed  Agent  at 
White  River.  Mr.  Meeker's  plan  was  to  have  the 
Indians  raise  crops  and  support  themselves  in  an  im 
proved  way.  He  encouraged  them  to  live  in  log 
houses,  and  have  some  of  the  miscellaneous  conven 
iences  of  civilization.  It  was  an  experiment  and  had 
worked  well  until  the  beginning  of  the  past  season. 
A  large  and  effective  irrigating  canal  was  built  by  the 
Indians,  and  many  acres  ploughed  by  these  red  farm 
ers.  One  of  the  bands  favored  this  new  system,  and 
their  chief  helped  to  make  peace  at  the  first  outbreak. 
More  real  agricultural  work  was  accomplished  at  this 
agency  than  at  any  of  the  others.  The  ploughing 
was  done  for  the  benefit  of  the  agency  and  for  the 
Indians,  and  not  for  the  Agent,  as  has  been  reported. 

Speaking  of  appearances  at  the  agency  under  Mr. 
Meeker's  management,  Mr.  R.  D.  Coxe,  who  visited 
the  place  just  previous  to  the  outbreak,  says: 

"  The  agency  had  been  moved  since  any  of  the 
party  had  been  there,  and  as  we  came  in  sight  of  it, 
it  presented  a  pretty  picture  to  our  eyes.  The  White 
River  valley  at  the  agency  is  some  half  or  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  in  width,  and  is  splendidly  adapted 
to  agriculture,  as  well  by  the  ease  with  which  it  can 


156  THE   UTE   WAR. 

be  irrigated  as  by  the  natural  qualities  of  the  soil. 
Facing  the  agency  buildings,  under  fence,  was  a  field 
of  fifty  acres,  in  which  were  growing  corn  and  garden 
truck,  and  from  which  a  good  crop  of  wheat  had  been 
harvested.  Around  were  the  signs  of  a  practical 
farmer,  and  under  the  sheds  of  the  agency  were  the 
latest  improvements  in  agricultural  implements.  Here, 
thought  I,  is  the  model  farmer.  Another  generation 
will  find  our  dusky  neighbors  tilling  their  ranches  and 
pursuing  the  peaceful  avocations  of  civilization,  and 
the  blessing  will,  rest  upon  the  head  of  N.  C.  Meeker. 
But  a  herd  of  horses  skirted  the  fenced  field,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  they  looked  with  jealous  eye  upon  the 
growing  crops.  On  the  hills  upon  the  other  side  of 
the  river  were  large  herds  of  cattle,  and  everything 
.looked  pastoral  and  quiet. 

"  It  needed  no  introduction  to  tell  us  that  the  tall, 
angular,  grey-headed  man  who  welcomed  us  to  the 
agency  was  Father  Meeker.  To  look  at  him  was  to 
see  the  plows,  and  harrows  and  fence  wire.  He  told 
us  to  unsaddle  at  the  corral,  and  after  an  eight  hours' 
ride  over  a  rough  trail,  we  were  not  unwilling  to 
do  so." 

Mr.  Meeker  went  to  the  White  River  Agency  with 
his  wife  and  youngest  daughter,  Josephine,  who 
taught  the  young  Indians  and  was  a  general  favorite. 
Mr.  William  H.  Post,  of  Yonkers,  was  his  "boss 
farmer"  and  general  assistant.  Mr.  Post  had  been  a 
competent  and  very  popular  Secretary  of  the  Greeley 
Colony.  He  was  at  the  agency  at  the  time  of  the 
outbreak. 

Mrs.  Meeker  is  sixty-four  years  old,  with  black 
hair,  now  partly  tinged  with  gray,  and  blue  eyes. 
She  is  small  in  stature,  her  weight  being  only  ninety 
pounds.  She  is  the  daughter  of  a  sea  captain,  and 
was  born  in  Cheshire,  Connecticut.  She  moved  with 


THE   UTE   WAR.  157 

her  parents,  when  a  child,  to  the  Western  Reserve  in 
Ohio,  when  the  country  was  a  wilderness,  and  was 
reared  as  a  pioneer's  daughter,  with  many  sisters  and 
brothers.  She  taught  school  for  several  years,  and 
was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  to  N.  C. 
Meeker,  in  Clariden,  Geauga  county,  Ohio.  She  is 
the  mother  of  five  children. 

Miss  Josephine  Meeker  is  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
a  blonde,  with  blue  eyes  and  light  hair,  and  is  tall  in 
stature  and  vivacious  in  manner  and  conversation. 
She  was  a  teacher  at  the  agency  and  a  great  favorite 
among  the  Indians.  She  taught  the  boy  of  Chief 
Douglass,  and  had  half  a  dozen  offers  of  marriage 
from  the  Ute  braves. 

Mrs.  Meeker  is  one  of  the  gentlest  and  most  moth 
erly  women,  with  a  heart  large  enough  to  embrace  all 
humanity.  Her  kindly  disposition  and  gentle  manner 
should  have  protected  her  from  the  assault  of  the 
veriest  brute. 

'  Miss  Josie  seems  to  have  inherited  much  of  the 
force  and  enthusiasm  of  her  father.  She  appears  to 
have  overcome  the  feeling  of  disgust,  which  savages 
must  inspire  in  any  lady,  and  to  have  entered  on  her 
duty  of  teaching  with  the  highest  missionary  spirit. 

Around  this  family  were  gathered,  as  help,  people 
peculiarly  genial  and  calculated  to  win  by  kindness 
the  regard  of  the  Utes,  and  whose  names  have  already 
been  published.  It  may  here  be  stated  that  the 
Christian  name  of  Mr.  Thompson,  which  has  not  yet 
been  given,  was  Arthur.  He  was  a  son  of  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Greeley.  The  agency  was  well 
cared  for.  Comfortable  buildings  were  erected  and 
fine  avenues  were  laid  out.  One  of  these,  the  main 
street,  which  ran  as  straight  as  a  line  from  the  canon 
to  the  agency,  was  named  after  Chief  Douglass.  Mr. 
Meeker  was  preparing  to  plant  mountain  evergreens 


158  THE   UTE   WAR. 

on  both  sides  of  it.  The  government  Indian  farm 
was  enclosed  with  a  neat  wire  fence,  and  it  produced 
all  kinds  of  crops.  The  Indians  until  the  mutiny 
helped  to  cultivate  the  soil.  They  raised  potatoes, 
beets,  turnips,  and  other  vegetables.  The  white  em 
ployes  planted  the  wheat.  In  the  agency  yard  Mrs. 
Meeker  had  some  flowers,  such  as  verbenas,  mign 
onette,  petunias  and  others  of  a  more  common  sort. 
The  Indians  seemed  to  like  the  improvements,  and 
they  admired  the  flowers.  On  ration  days  their  chil 
dren  were  to  be  seen  with  bunches  of  flowers  in  their 
hands.  A  large  irrigating  canal  was  built  by  the  In 
dians  under  the  Agent's  direction.  It  afforded  water 
for  the  whole  valley.  A  good  table  was  set  for  the 
employes,  and  they  were  only  charged  $3.50  per 
week,  which  is  much  less  than  is  charged  at  the  other 
agencies,  where  it  is  $4.00  and  $5.00.  The  best  pro 
visions  were  used  and  bought  at  Rawlins.  Mr. 
Meeker  refused  to  have  any  Indian  blankets  or  Indian 
goods  in  the  house,  so  as  to  be  free  from  all  irregu 
larities  or  charges  of  corruption.  The  Indians  fre 
quently  ate  at  his  private  table,  and  the  chiefs  came 
and  went  when  they  pleased.  They  were  treated 
kindly,  but  not  allowed  to  take  charge  of  the  place,  as 
they  sometimes  wanted  to  do. 

Among  the  losses  sustained  by  our  troops  in  the 
Milk  River  fight,  the  most  serious  was  the  death  of 
that  veteran  Indian  fighter  Major  Thomas  T.  Thorn- 
burgh,  of  the  Fourth  Infantry.  This  gallant  officer 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  from  which  State  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  the  Sixth  Tennessee  Regiment  of 
Volunteers  in  September,  1861.  He  was  in  the  ser 
vice  from  that  time  until  August,  1863.  During  this 
term  he  served  for  the  first  five  months  as  a  private, 
for  two  months  as  Sergeant- Major,  and  for  the  re 
mainder  of  his  term  in  the  service  as  Lieutenant  and 


THE    UTE    WAR.  1 59 

Adjutant.  He  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Mill  Springs, 
was  with  our  army  when  General  Morgan  made  his 
celebrated  retreat  from  Cumberland  Gap  to  the  Ohio 
River,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Stone  River, 
September  ist.  He  was  entered  at  the  United  States 
Military  Academy  of  West  Point,  and  was  one  of  the 
class  of  '63  graduates  from  there  June  17,  1867.  He 
was  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  in  the  Second 
Artillery,  June  17,  1867.  After  three  years'  service 
upon  the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  coasts,  he  was  regularly 
promoted,  Aprjl  21,  1870,  and  as  First  Lieutenant  of 
Artillery  was  appointed  Major  and  Paymaster,  April 
26,  1875.  In  this  capacity  he  served  upon  the  staff 
of  Brigadier-General  George  Crook,  with  station  at 
Omaha;  but  tiring  of  the  inactivity  of  the  life,  he 
sought  and  effected  an  exchange  with  Major  G.  H. 
Thomas,  Fourth  Infantry,  May  23,  1878.  By  this 
transfer  Major  Thornburgh  stepped  above  no  less 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  captains  of  infantry  and 
many  lieutenants  of  that  corps,  whose  original  com 
missions  antedated  his,  and  procured  the  command  of 
Fort  Fred  Steele,  in  Wyoming  Territory. 

In  the  fall  of  1878  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
troops  assembled  at  Sidney,  Nebraska,  to  intercept 
the  Cheyennes.  The  latter  crossed  the  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  near  Julesburg,  and  a  few  hours  later, 
having  been  conveyed  to  this  point  by  a  special  train, 
Thornburgh's  column  was  in  hot  pursuit.  The 
Cheyennes  forded  the  treacherous  Platte,  with  whose 
shifting  quicksands  they  were  familiar,  and  took 
refuge  for  the  night  in  an  adjacent  canon.  Thorn- 
burgh  followed,  but  his  preparations  for  an  immediate 
attack  were  foiled  by  a  dense  fog,  which  rose  from 
the  river  and  enveloped  it.  In  the  early  morning 
smouldering  fires  revealed  their  late  proximity,  but 
the  Cheyennes  had  dispersed.  Their  trail  led  fan- 


l6o  THE   UTE    WAR. 

shaped    into   and   through    the    dreaded    sand   hills. 
Thornburgh   followed,  and  during  the   day    accom 
plished  not  less  than  eighty  miles.     For  forty-eight 
hours  he  wandered  through  this  terrible  waste,  and 
was  only  relieved  from  extreme  hunger  and  thirst  by 
the  timely  arrival  of  Major  C.  H.  Carlton,  Third  Cav 
alry,  and  a  battalion  of  that  regiment.     By  many  his 
failure  was  attributed  to  excess  of  caution,  but  per 
haps  he  only  avoided  then  the  disaster  that  has  so  re 
cently  overwhelmed  his   command.     Major   Thorn- 
burgh  was  shot  in  the  breast  and  instantly  killed.     He 
was  a  man  of  splendid  physique,  and  if  not  a  brilliant 
soldier,  a  very  earnest,  brave,  ambitious,  and  conscien 
tious  officer,  and  a  genial,  whole-souled  gentleman. 
He  was  an  excellent  horseman,  and  the  finest  shot  in  the 
army.     He  hunted  prairie  chicken  and  grouse  with  an 
ordinary  Springfield  rifle.     When  Dr.   Carver  made 
his  superb  score  with  glass  balls  at  Omaha,  Major 
Thornburgh,    at   the   solicitation    of    his    numerous 
friends,  followed  and  almost  equalled  it.     Immediate 
ly  subsequent  to  the  fruitless  chase  after  the  Chey- 
ennes,  a  council  was  held  with  Red  Cloud,  Young- 
man-afraid-of-his-horses,  and  other  prominent  Sioux 
chiefs  at  Fort  Sheridan.     At  its  termination  the  In 
dians  were  in  an  unusually  amiable  mood,  and  face 
tiously  compared  the  battered  carbines  in  the  hands 
of  our  cavalrymen  to  their  own  handsomely  mounted 
Winchesters.     Major  Thornburgh,  seizing  at  random 
one  of  the  former  arms  from  a  soldier,  challenged  the 
group  of  dusky  boasters  to  a  trial  of  their  vaunted 
weapons.     Silver  half  and  quarter  dollars  thrown  into 
the  air,  or  even  nickels,  were  rarely  missed ;  and  the 
coins   being   too   soon  exhausted,  they  insisted  on 
tempting   his    unerring   aim   with    potatoes,    which, 
although  they  grow  particularly  small  in  the  rugged 
northwest,  he  invariably  cleft  in  their  flight.     The 


THE    UTE    WAR.  l6l 

braves  stood  aghast  at  such  wonderful  dexterity,  and 
conferred  upon  him  a  euphonious  sobriquet  in  their 
own  language,  meaning  "  The-chief-who-shoots-the- 
stars. " 

Major  Thornburgh  was  a  brother  of  the  ex-Con 
gressman  of  that  name  from  Tennessee.  He  leaves  a 
wife  (daughter  of  Major  R.  D.  Clark,  paymaster,  and 
niece  of  Pay  master- General  Alvord,  U.  S.  A.)  and 
two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  who  are  now  at 
Omaha,  where  his  remains  were  buried  with  becoming 
ceremonies. 

Lieutenant  Weir,  who  was  killed  south  of  White 
River,  was  the  younger  son  of  Robert  W.  Weir,  a  cele 
brated  painter  and  for  many  years  professor  of  draw 
ing,  etc.,  at  West  Point.  The  latter  retired  with  the 
pay  of  Colonel  July  25,  1876,  being  then  over  sixty- 
two  years  of  age.  The  Lieutenant's  elder  brother,  an 
artist,  now  in  Europe,  has  won  a  reputation  equal  to 
his  sire's.  Lieutenant  Weir  was  hardly  thirty  years 
old.  He  had  a  fair  face,  gray  eyes,  a  light  mustache, 
light  brown  hair,  a  pleasant  smile,  a  gentle  manner 
and  a  cheerful  disposition,  and  he  is  bewailed  by  so 
many  of  his  acquaintances  among  the  troops  at  Raw- 
lins  as  to  indicate  a  general  grief  at  his  fate.  Lieuten 
ant  Weir  was  a  native  of  New  York  and  a  graduate  of 
the  West  Point  Military  Academy,  which  he  entered 
as  a  cadet  July  I,  1866.  He  was  appointed  a  Second 
Lieutenant  in  the  Fifth  Artillery,  but  was  transferred 
to  the  Ordnance  Department  November  I,  1874,  re 
ceiving  a  commission  of  First  Lieutenant. 


Of  the  Indians,  the  greatest  interest  centers  in 
Ouray  (pronounced  U-ra),  the  head  chief  or  king  of 
the  Utes,  who  has  come  prominently  before  the  coun 
try  during  the  time  covered  by  this  history  and  who 

was,  by  no  means,  unknown  before.     He  is,  in  many 
II 


1 62  THE   UTE   WAR. 

respects — indeed,  we  may  say  in  all  respects — a  re 
markable  Indian;  a  man  of  pure  instincts,  of  keen 
perception,  and  apparently  possesses  very  proper  ideas 
of  justice  and  right  —  the  friend  of  the  white  man 
and  the  protector  of  the  Indian,  ever  standing  up  and 
boldly  asserting  the  rights  of  his  tribe,  and  as  contin 
ually  doing  all  in  his  power  to  create  favor  for  the 
white  man  with  the  Indians. 

Ouray,  in  telling  the  story  of  his  life,  says  that  he 
was  born  in  Taos  Valley,  N.  M.,  near  the  Pueblo  village 
of  that  name,  in  1839,  His  tribe  of  Utes  were  in  the 
habit  of  spending  much  of  their  time  in  the  Taos 
Valley,  and  San  Luis  Park,  and  along  the  Sangre  de 
Cristo  Mountains.  Down  in  this  region  they  were 
accustomed  to  meet  the  Apaches,  who  came  up  from 
the  north.  It  is  a  very  common  thing  for  the  women 
of  a  tribe  of  Indians  to  marry  out  of  their  tribe. 
Ouray's  father  married  an  Apache  woman  ;  hence  the 
epithet  which  is  so  often  sneeringly  applied  to  Ouray 
by  those  of  the  Indians  who  dislike  him,  of  being  an 
"Apache  papoose."  The  Indians  became  so  accus 
tomed  to  associating  with  the  Mexicans  that  some  of 
them  began  to  adopt  the  customs  of  this  people,  and 
when  Ouray's  father  and  mother  came  to  the  conclu 
sion  that  they  wanted  to  be  married,  they  quietly 
marched  .up  to  the  little  adobe  church  which  stands  on 
the  hill,  in  the  village  at  Red  River  crossing,  and  had 
the  priest  perform  the  ceremony,  just  as  any  good 
Catholics  would.  And  when  Ouray  was  born,  they 
took  him  to  the  same  adobe  building  and  had  him 
baptized  into  the  Catholic  Church — the  only  instance 
on  record  of  the  kincj. 

Ouray  had  three  brothers  and  two  sisters,  but  he  sur 
vives  all  of  his  brothers,  while  both  of  his  sisters  still 
live,  one  of  them  near  the  home  of  the  chief  on  the 
Uncompahgre  and  the  other  is  Susan,  the  wife  of  Chief 


THE   UTE   WAR. 


163 


Johnson,  of  the  White  River  Tribe,  who  so  signally 
distinguished  herself  in  her  kindness  to  the  Meeker 
women  and  Mrs.  Price  while  they  were  captives  among 
the  tribe. 

Ouray  has  long  been  a  chief  among  the  Utes,  but 
is  more  renowned  for  his  wisdom  than  his  bravery. 
During  his  young  manhood,  however,  he  was  accus 
tomed  to  lead  the  Ute  braves  to  battle  and  was  a  very 


(Head  Chief  of 
the  Utes.) 


brave  as  well  as  successful  fighter.  He  generally 
planned  well  and  fought  bravely.  During  these  times 
the  Utes  were  engaged  in  a  deadly  encounter  with  the 
Arapahoes,  Cheyennes  and  Sioux.  It  was  a  war  be 
tween  the  plains  Indians  and  the  mountain  tribes,  be 
tween  Highlanders  and  Lowlanders.  Ouray  entered 
into  the  spirit  which  characterized  his  race  with  a  will, 
and  soon  became  a  renowned  warrior.  He  soon  was 


164  THE    UTE    WAR. 

famed  for  wisdom,  and  his  counsel  was  sought  by  the 
Utes  far  and  near.  When  the  white  men  first  began 
to  settle  what  is  now  Colorado,  they  found  Ouray 
chief  of  the  Tabequache  or  Uncompahgre  tribe,  the 
largest  band  of  the  tribe  and  in  great  favor  with  the 
members  of  other  bands,  so  that  while  he  was  not 
head  chief,  he  was  a  man  of  the  greatest  influence 
and  power  among  his  people.  He  was  also  disposed 
to  be  friendly  towards  the  white  settlers  and  soon  be 
came  known  as  a  mediator  between  the  two  races. 
He  continued  increasing  his  authority  and  influence 
among  his  people  until,  as  he  expresses  it,  "  the  year 
after  Lincoln's  death,"  he  was  recognized  as  head  chief 
by  the  Indians.  In  1873  ^e  acted  as  interpreter  be 
tween  the  Indians  and  Commissioner  Brunot,  in  the 
conference  looking  to  the  cession  to  the  government 
of  the  San  Juan  country,  and  in  recognition  of  his 
services  at  that  time  and  in  the  past,  the  government 
settled  an  annuity  of  $1,000  upon  him,  which  he  has 
since  continued  to  draw  regularly.  He  made  his  first 
trip  to  Washington  during  the  same  year  that  he  was 
made  head  chief. 

The  Utes  have  had  five  wars  with  the  Arapahoes, 
and  Ouray  states  that  during  some  of  these  he  led  as 
many  as  seven  hundred  warriors  to  the  battle-field. 
The  second  war  occurred  about  1858,  and  some  of 
the  battles  were  fought  just  above  where  Denver 
stands.  Ouray  had  but  thirty  men  with  him,  while 
the  Arapahoes  numbered  seven  hundred.  They  came 
upon  the  Utes  in  the  morning,  just  before  daylight, 
and  took  the  mountain  Indians  completely  by  sur 
prise.  However,  Ouray  rallied  his  few  warriors,  and 
they  hurriedly  formed  in  a  square,  after  retreating  a 
short  distance,  and  after  a  fight  which  continued  four 
teen  hours,  repulsed  the  Arapahoes. 

It  was  during  this  fight  that  Ouray  lost  his  little 


THE    UTE   WAR.  165 

boy — the  only  son  that  has  been  born  to  him. 
He  says  that  when  he  saw  the  Arapahoes  coming,  he 
threw  water  in  the  face  of  the  child,  then  six  years  of 
age,  for  the  purpose  of  awaking  him,  but  failing  in 
this,  he  threw  covering  over  him  and  left  him  to  go 
and  fight  the  invaders  of  the  camp.  But  the  entire 
day  passed  before  he  could  extricate  himself  from  the 
entanglements  involving  him,  and  when  he  did  get 
away  and  have  an  opportunity  to  return  to  his  tepee, 
his  boy  had  disappeared  and  has  never  since  been 
seen  by  his  father.  This  incident  is  still  vividly  re 
membered  by  Ouray,  and  he  never  refers  to  it  without 
manifesting  the  greatest  sorrow  over  it.  He  professes 
to  believe  his  boy  is  dead,  though  he  knows  he  is  not. 
He  is  still  with  the  Arapahoes,  and  as  Ouray  heartily 
despises  the  Arapahoes,  he  would  prefer  the  death  of 
his  son  to  the  disgrace  implied  in  being  an  Arapahoe. 
This  feeling  on  his  part  most  likely  explains  the  rep 
resentation  of  the  matter  as  made  by  the  old  chief. 
Ouray  has  never  been  able  to  get  his  boy  back,  though 
he  has  made  every  effort  to  recover  him.  The  gov 
ernment,  too,  has  done  all  in  its  power  to  restore 
Ouray's  son  to  him.  Mr.  Brunot  himself  made  a 
strong  effort.  But  the  boy  declines  to  go  back,  or  to 
be  talked  to  upon  the  subject.  It  seems  that  he  has 
imbibed  Arapahoe  ideas,  and  that  he  utterly  despises 
the  Utes.  This  is  really  what  most  hurts  old  Ouray. 
His  family  pride  is  injured.  He  thinks  his  son  has 
been  utterly  disgraced.  The  boy  is  a  good-looking 
Indian.  He  is  now  about  thirty  years  old.  He  has 
been  adopted  by  Chief  Friday,  and,  it  is  said,  stands 
a  good  show  of  becoming  chief,  whenever  that  re 
nowned  warrior  shall  "cross  the  range." 

Ouray  has  lived  at  his  present  home  on  the  Un- 
compahgre  and  in  that  vicinity  during  the  past 
twenty-three  years,  having  resided,  previous  to  estab* 


1 66  THE   UTE   WAR. 

lishing  himself  at  that  point,  in  New  Mexico.  Cho- 
peta,  his  present  wife,  is  his  second,  his  first  having 
been  the  mother  of  his  boy  and  also  of  a  girl  child, 
now  dead.  Ouray  lives  in  good  style.  He  owns  a 
farm,  which  is  a  real  garden  spot,  of  three  hundred 
acres.  Of  this  he  cultivates  about  a  hundred  acres, 
raising  all  kinds  of  cereals  and  vegetables.  He  lives 
in  a  neatly  built  and  commodious  adobe  house  built 
for  him  by  the  government  and  neatly  furnished  and 
carpeted.  He  owns  great  numbers  of  horses  and  a 
good  many  cattle  and  sheep,  and.  when  he  goes  out 
rides  in  a  carriage  which  was  a  present  from  ex- 
Governor  McCook.  He  hires  laborers  from  among 
the  Mexicans  and  Indians,  and  also  expects  his  wife 
to  do  her  share  of  the  farm  work.  Ouray 's  present 
wife,  Chopeta,  is  kind-hearted  and  very  much  like 
Ouray  in  her  nature,  being  kind  and  well  disposed 
towards  the  whites.  The  Chief  has  become  very 
much  attached  to  his  present  manner  of  living,  and  it 
is  said  is  disposed  to  remain  on  his  farm  and  surren 
der  the  reins  of  government  to  some  younger  man. 
Speaking  before  the  Commission,  of  which  he  is  a 
member,  now  investigating  the  present  trouble,  at  Los 
Pinos,  on  the  i6th  of  November  of  the  present  year 
he  said : 

"  I  do  not  want  to  be  a  chief.  I  grow  old  and  am 
tottering.  Let  some  young  man  with  the  fire  of 
youth  in  his  veins  take  my  place.  I  have  my  farm, 
which  I  would  rather  cultivate  and  watch  the  seed 
planted  by  me  grow  up  to  maturity  than  to  be  head 
chief.  They  all  come  to  me  with  their  troubles.  I 
know  everything  and  have  all  their  burdens  to  bear. 
Washington  no  want  me  to  give  up  my  position, 
wants  me  to  stay  and  govern  Utes.  I  want  only  to 
be.  known  as  Ouray,,  the  friend  of  the  white  man." 

So  far  as  the  present  difficulty  is  concerned,  Ouray 


THE   UTE   WAR.  1 67 

has  continued  from  first  to  last  friendly  to  the  whites 
and  an  advocate  of  peace.  As  soon  as  he  learned  of 
the  Thornburgh  fight  he  sent  runners  to  White  River 
ordering  that  hostilities  cease.  He  also  did  every 
thing  in  his  power  to  secure  the  surrender  of  the  cap 
tive  women,  and  when  there  was  a  prospect  of  the 
southern  Utes  breaking  out,  he  sent  timely  warning 
to  the  white  settlers  near.  He  has  pursued  a  straight 
forward  and  manly  course  and  deserved  the  honor 
which  the  government  conferred  upon  him  in  making 
him  a  member  of  the  Commission. 

Although  baptized  into  the  Catholic  Church,  Ouray 
does  not  profess  the  white  man's  religion.  Senough- 
Ibase  is  the  Ute  god,  and  in  him  Ouray  believes.  He 
says  that  when  good  people  die  they  will  go  to  a 
delightful  place  like  a  beautiful  valley,  with  a  clear 
stream  of  water  running  in  it,  there  to  meet  with  the 
friends  and  the  spirits  of  friends  who  have  gone 
before.  They  will  all  meet  there — friends,  brothers 
and  parents.  He  speaks  with  much  tenderness  of  his 
father  and  mother.  He  also  believes  there  is  a  bad 
place  where  bad  people  cannot  meet  their  friends  who 
have  preceded  them. 

One  little  instance  may  be  related  as  going  to  show 
the  character  of  Ouray  and  the  manner  of  his  dealing 
with  his  inferiors.  Since  he  became  head  chief  he 
has  promoted  Sapavanaro,  Shavano,  Waro  and  Billy 
to  chieftainships  under  himself  among  the  Uncom- 
pahgre  Utes.  He  has  made  Ignacio  head  chief  of 
the  Southern  Utes,  and  Pavisatch  second  chief  of  the 
Southern  Utes.  As  is  often  the  case  with  people 
making  greater  pretensions  to  civilization,  most  of 
these  fellows  scorn  the  hand  that  feeds  them.  Ignacio 
has  grown  unfriendly  to  Ouray,  and  Waro  and  Billy 
seem  to  have  deserted  him  for  the  White  River  Utes. 

Cojoe,  who  has  figured  extensively  in  this  narrative 


1 68  THE   UTE   WAR. 

already,  was  in  favor  at  Ouray's  court  at  one  time, 
being  the  chief  medicine  man  of  the  Tabequache 
tribe.  He,  and  not  Ouray,  as  has  frequently  been  as 
serted,  was  the  man  who  killed  the  young  brave 
Osepah,  during  the  summer  of  1878.  Osepahwasan 
ambitious  young  man,  and  was  working  hard  to  secure 
the  coveted  prize,  a  chieftainship.  He  saw  that  a 
number  of  the  tribe  were  displeased  with  the  farming 
operations  of  Ouray,  and  his  notorious  friendship  to 
the  whites,  and  thought  that  by  making  himself  the 
mouthpiece  of  the  tribe,  he  would  acquire  great  re 
nown  and  their  admiration.  Consequently,  he  rode 
to  Ouray's  house,  meeting  the  chief  on  his  way  to 
the  agency.  Cojoe  had  just  come  in  from  a  hunt,  and 
with  his  rifle  slung  on  his  shoulder,  was  accompany 
ing  Ouray.  Osepah  stopped  them,  and  dismounting 
from  his  horse,  laid  before  Ouray  the  fact  that  he  was 
wanted  no  longer  as  their  chief;  that  he  was  a  white 
man  at  heart,  and  ought  to  join  the  whites,  concluding 
with  a  perfect  tirade  of  abuse,  in  which  he  called  the 
chief  "  a  squaw,"  the  most  degrading  epithet  that  can 
be  applied  to  an  Indian,  and  one  which  he  is  generally 
quickest  to  resent.  Ouray  took  no  notice  of  the 
speech,  regarding  it  as  the  insane  utterances  of  a  hot 
headed  young  man;  but  not  so  Cojoe.  Waiting  until 
Osepah  had  mounted  his  horse  and  ridden  several  rods 
away,  he  unslung  his  rifle,  took  deliberate  aim,  and 
Osepah  fell  dead  with  a  bullet  through  his  brain.  For 
this  offense  Cojoe  was  expelled  by  Ouray  from  the 
tribe  and  went  to  White  River,  most  probably  being 
concerned  in  the  murder  of  the  employes  there.  He 
now  is  arrayed  in  a  dresscoat,  with  two  gold  chains 
dangling  from  his  pocket.  Ouray  says  that  he  will 
never  again  return  to  the  agency,  his  conduct  having 
given  him  more  trouble  than  that  of  all  the  rest  of  his 
Indians. 


THE   UTE   WAR.  169 

Captain  Billy  has  generally  professed  friendship  for 
the  whites,  though  he  has  been  a  great  deal  among 
the  White  River  Utes  since  the  troubles  of  which  we 
write  began.  He  paid  a  visit  to  Washington  in  the 
fall  of  1878.  Bill  is  a  brother  of  Jack,  though  much 
more  kindly  disposed.  He  really  looks  like  an  in 
offensive  Indian,  but  he  has  plenty  of  Indian  fire  in  his 
brain.  At  one  time  he  boasted  that  no  lead  could 
kill  him,  and  when  one  of  the  tribe  said  he  would  like 
to  try,  Bill  stood  up,  folded  his  arms,  and  said,  "  Fire !  " 
The  bullet  went  through  his  left  side  below  the  ribs. 
Bill  laughed,  and  said,  "  I  told  you  lead  no  kill  me. " 
He  was  laid  up  about  two  weeks,  and  came  out  all 
right. 

During  the  present  disturbance  Douglass  and  Jack, 
both  White  River  chiefs,  have  attracted  more  atten 
tion  than  any  other  two  Indians.  They  are  quite  in 
telligent  fellows,  though  very  different  in  appearance, 
stature,  physique,  temperament  and  manner.  Doug 
lass  is  rather  short — about  five  feet  six  or  seven 
inches  in  height — of  medium  build,  about  fifty  years 
of  age,  and  with  a  decidedly  German  cast  of  counte 
nance.  His  complexion  is  rather  darker  than  most  of 
his  tribe.  Mr.  A.  D.  Coxe,  formerly  of  Middle  Park, 
now  residing  in  Quincy,  111.,  who  visited  White  River 
Agency,  describes  Douglass  as  follows : 

"  As  we  approached  the  corral  a  figure  came  toward 
us  from  the  direction  of  the  river,  that  I  gazed  at  with 
increasing  interest  as  it  approached.  Dressed  in  what 
I  should  call  the  fall  attire  of  a  workman  in  the 
States,  I  set  myself  to  solve  the  problem  of  what 
nationality.  White,  red  or  black  ?  Once  it  was  a 
sunburned  white  man,  then  a  "  nigger, "  but  when  it 
reached  us  the  inevitable  red  smear  betrayed  it.  It 
was  an  Indian,  and,  moreover,  an  Indian  who  spoke 
respectable  English.  There  was  something  I  should 


I/O  THE   UTE   WAR. 

describe  as  a  reserved  force  in  his  manner  (not  matter) 
of  speaking.  Our  conversation  was  trivial.  I  had 
put  my  estimate  on  him,  and  it  was  that  he  had 
grown  civilized  enough  to  doff  the  blanket  (emblem 
of  the  aboriginee)  and  to  become  generally  no  ac 
count.  Imagine  my  surprise  when  the  sheriff  turned 
to  me  and  told  me  our  visitor  was  Douglass.  I  had 
expected  to  find  the  great  chief  in  a  mud  palace,  ex 
acting  the  reverence  .and  homage  of  all  comers.  In 
stead,  he  is  an  Indian  who  would  be  taken  for  a  res 
pectable  negro  church  sexton  in  Kentucky,  and  he 
keeps  up  the  likeness  by  his  grave  reticence  and  res 
pectful  curiosity  as  to  what  our  mission  is.  Douglass 
is  about  five  feet  seven  inches  in  height,  medium 
stature  and  outrageously  bow-legged.  The  most 
noticeable  thing  about  him  is  that  he  shaves,  but 
manages  to  escape  an  iron-gray  growth  of  moustache 
on  the  sides  of  his  mouth  in  that  operation.  In  his 
dress  he  made  no  pretence  to  the  gaudy — was  satis 
fied  with  the  substantial." 

Douglass  was  made  a  chief  among  the  White  River 
Utes  in  1869,  and  been  considered  a  friend  of  the 
whites.  He  has  ever  professed  the  warmest  regard 
for  his  pale  face  brothers,  and  when  Agent  Meeker 
first  went  to  White  River  was  among  the  first  to  man 
ifest  a  friendly  feeling  towards  the  old  gentleman. 
He  sent  his  boy  to  school  when  Miss  Josephine  estab 
lished  her  institution  for  teaching  the  young  Indian 
how  not  to  shoot,  and  seemed  in  every  way  satisfied 
with  his  lot  and  surroundings.  But  it  now  appears 
that  he  has  all  this  time  been  merely  simulating 
friendship,  and  that  all  the  while  he  has  harbored  a 
deep-rooted  feeling  against  the  Americans.  His  treat 
ment  of  Mrs.  Meeker  and  her  daughter,  the  part  he 
took  in  the  massacre  and  his  confessions  to  Mrs. 
Price  are  proof  positive  of  his  bad  feeling.  It  has  also 


THE   UTE   WAR.         .  I/I 

been  recently  charged  that  he  took  a  prominent  part 
in  the  Mountain  Meadow  massacre.  The  Indians 
themselves  assert  that  he  did,  but  Douglass  when 
questioned  concerning  this  accusation  replied : 

"  No ;  me  no  fight.  Me  no  chief  then ;  papers 
heap  lies." 

Even  to  the  most  unobservant,  he  displayed  great 
agitation,  which,  in  an  Indian,  is  extremely  uncom 
mon,  while  speaking,  and  it  would  not  be  at  all  sur 
prising,  if  the  facts  can  be  obtained,  that  this  maltreater 
of  helpless  women  and  coward  as  well,  should  prove 
to  have  been  concerned  in  this  massacre.  Mrs.  Price's 
characterization  of  him  as  "the  smartest  and  meanest 
of  the  Utes  "  may  be  classified  as  accurate. 

Ouray  being  asked  about  Douglass  could  not  be 
brought  to  tell  much  of  the  history  of  this  chief,  say 
ing  that  Douglass  was  not  a  very  brave  man,  but  great 
in  the  council.  His  speeches  are  always  eloquent, 
generally  to  the  point,  and  always  convincing. 
Through  his  tongue,  he  has  acquired  about  the  same 
influence  over  his  band  that  Jack  has  through  his 
bravery,  and  when  a  question  is  hanging  in  suspense 
in  one  of  the  Ute  councils,  that  voice  turns  the  bal 
ance.  He  speaks  English  very  imperfectly,  but 
appears  to  be  good  natured,  though  decidedly  taci 
turn  and  thoughtful.  Even  to  his  own  people  he  says 
little,  and  what  he  says  is  in  a  low  tone  and  in  short 
paragraphs.  He  impresses  one  as  having  considerable 
ability,  though  not  as  being  as  intelligent  as  Jack. 
This,  however,  may  be  due  to  the  different  manner  of 
his  Lieutenant,  and  the  fact  that  the  latter  has  traveled 
as  far  east  as  Boston,  while  Douglass  has  never  crossed 
the  Missouri. 

Jack  is  far  more  the  typical  Indian  than  his  leader. 
Some  five  feet  ten  or  eleven  inches  in  height,  straight 
and  slender,  but  strong  and  sinewy.  He  has  a  narrow 


172  .         THE   UTE   WAR. 

forehead,  prominent,  hooked  nose,  protruding  cheek 
bones,  large,  black  eyes  and  an  immense  mouth.  His 
complexion  is  that  of  a  bright  mulatto.  His  straight 
black  hair  falls  is  profusion  over  his  shoulders  and  he 
wears  large  hoop  earrings  and  a  silver  medal  about 
three  inches  in  diameter,  which  was  presented  to  him 
by  the  government  and  of  which  he  is  very  proud. 
One  edge  of  it  is  deeply  indented,  he  says,  by  a 
bullet  fired  at  him  by  Piah.  His  eyes  flash  when  he 
speaks  of  this  little  experience,  and  he  suggests  a  pur 
pose  of  returning  the  compliment  whenever  a  suitable 
opportunity  shall  offer.  Another  article  which  he 
particularly  prizes  is  a  pipe  of  polished  red  stone, 
which  he  says  was  captured  from  the  Sioux.  He  car 
ries  it  in  an  ornamented  buckskin  case  and  cleans  it 
with  the  utmost  tenderness  every  time  it  is  smoked. 
He  usually  dresses  in  a  complete  suit  of  buckskin, 
but  wears  a  black  slouch  hat.  He  is  something  of  a 
dandy  and  had  a  good  deal  of  ornamental  work  on 
his  clothing  as  well  as  on  his  pipe  and  gun  cases 
embroidered  with  colored  porcupine  quills  and  beads. 
He  is  generally  armed,  even  in  time  of  peace,  with  a 
first-rate  Winchester  rifle  and  his  belt  is  full  of  cart 
ridges.  His  pose  and  manner  are  dignified  and  grace 
ful,  and  he  is  exceedingly  jovial  in  disposition;  though 
a  serious,  thoughtful  look  comes  into  his  eyes  when 
he  is  at  business.  He  knows  more  of  the  world  than 
his  fellows,  and  consequently  respects  and  fears  the 
whites  more.  He  talks  English  quite  well  and  likes 
to  talk. 

"Jack,"  Ouray  says,  "was  always  a  brave  man. 
When  he  was  a  boy  he  was  taken  by  a  white  family 
to  Salt  Lake  City,  as  a  sort  of  page,  and  was  petted 
greatly  by  them.  He  resided  there  about  a  year,  and 
probably  learned  what  English  he  knows  at  that  time. 
Being  taken  to  task  by  his  mistress  one  day  about 


THE    UTE   WAR.  1/3 

some  trivial  offence,  Jack  then  threw  a  knife  at  her, 
cutting  her  severely  in  the  head,  and  started  for  Col 
orado.  He  has  had  two  duels  with  members  of  his 
own  tribe,  and  in  each  came  off  victorious,  in  the  last 
one,  after  disabling  his  opponent  by  a  stab,  lassooing 
him  and  dragging  him  at  his  horse's  tail  until  nothing 
was  left  save  a  mangled  mass  of  flesh.  The  Utes  all 
know  of  Jack's  bravery,  and  know  his  great  influence 
over  his  band. "  Said  Ouray,  "  Jack  will  fight  three 
white  men ;  but  he  no  hide  and  shoot  them  when  they 
come  past.  When  Jack  say  to  white  man,  '  You  my 
friend, '  all  right.  When  he  say,  '  You  no  stay  here, ' 
white  man  better  go. " 

Previous  to  this  present  outbreak  Jack  was  consid 
ered  friendly  to  the  whites.  He  was  about  Denver  a 
great  deal,  and  received  considerable  attention  from 
the  people  here.  But  he  objected  strongly  to  the  inno 
vations  which  Father  Meeker  attempted  to  introduce, 
and  when  it  came  time  to  take  up  arms  he  headed  the 
hostiles.  Previous  to  this  he  said  it  was  useless  for 
the  Indians  to  fight  the  white  man,  for  they  would 
certainly  get  the  worst  of  it  in  the  end.  And  he  fully 
appreciated  what  he  said.  He  had  witnessed  the 
great  extent  and  power  of  our  people,  and  seemingly 
profited  by  what  he  saw.  He  went  so  far  as  to  invite 
the  whites  to  settle  on  the  reservation  saying  that 
they  and  the  Indians  should  be  great  friends. 

Johnson  gained  his  chieftainship  by  a  daring  act  of 
valor  in  the  last  war  of  the  Utes  with  the  Arapahoes. 
One  day  their  scouts  having  reported  none  of  the 
enemy  near,  Johnson,  then  a  stripling,  and  two  com 
panions  started  out  on  a  hunt.  They  had  gone  about 
twenty  miles  from  their  camp  when  they  were  at 
tacked  by  eight  Arapahoes.  Johnson's  two  friends 
were  killed,  and  he  only  escaped  by  leaving  his  horse 
and  concealing  himself  in  a  river  or  stream  flowing 


1/4  THE    UTE   WAR. 

near.  The  Arapahoes  took  all  three  horses  and  start 
ed  for  their  camp,  Johnson  following  them  on  foot. 
When  they  camped  for  the  night  Johnson  crept  up, 
stabbed  the  sentinel  and  the  other  seven,  took  their 
scalps  and  horses,  and  returned  to  his  friends  to  tell 
the  story.  For  this  instance  of  prowess  he  received 
the  chieftainship  of  the  band  which  he  now  com 
mands.  Although  a  brave  Indian,  Johnson  differs 
from  Jack  in  that  he  will,  if  he  can,  take  an  unfair  ad 
vantage  of  an  enemy,  and  should  he  bear  one  a 
grudge,  will  not  hesitate  to  ambuscade  and  shoot  him. 
His  wife,  Ouray's  sister,  was  given  to  him  as  a  further 
recognition  of  his  services  against  the  Arapahoes. 
Johnson  is  also  the  best  shot  among  the  Utes,  with 
both  the  bow  and  rifle,  and  his  tepee,  after  a  hunt, 
contains  more  game  than  any  of  the  rest.  Johnson 
has  recently  acted  as  chief  medicine  man  at  White 
River,  and  he  figures  in  Mr.  Meeker's  letters  as  Dr. 
Johnson.  He  is  about  forty-five. 

The  next  most  noted  of  the  hostile  chiefs  is  Colo 
rado,  pronounced  and  generally  spelled  Colorow.  He 
is  a  bully  and  a  coward,  and  commands  the  loathing 
and  the  disrespect  of  both  white  man  and  Indian. 
He  is  a  renegade  among  the  White  River  Utes,  and 
at  one  time  had  attained  considerable  influence  among 
this  band,  rising  to  the  chieftainship  of  a  quite  re 
spectable  number.  But  he  was  deposed  from  power, 
for  which  result  ex-Governor  McCook  is  highly  re 
sponsible.  Formerly,  the  State  government  was  made 
in  some  way  responsible  for  the  care  of  the  Indians. 
During  McCook's  administration,  Colorow  and  a  band 
of  Utes  came  to  this  city  and  camped  on  the  out 
skirts.  One  day  the  chief  sent  word  that  he  wanted 
a  new  tent.  McCook  dispatched  an  agent  to  see  in 
what  condition  Colorow's  tent  was,  and  the  report  was 
that  he  did  not  need  a  new  tent,  and  McCook  accord- 


THE   UTE   WAR. 


175 


ingly  refused  him.  In  the  afternoon,  while  the  Gov 
ernor  was  in  his  office,  Colorow  came  in  half  drunk, 
with  a  revolver  in  his  hand,  and  came  over  where 
McCook  was  writing  and  sat  down.  The  Governor 
took  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  but  did  not  look  up. 

"McCook,  liar!"  said  Colorow. 

The  Governor  went  on  writing. 

"  McCook,  dam  liar!"  said  the  chief. 

Still  McCook  continued. with  his  work. 

"  McCook,  heap  d — m  liar!"  said  Colorow,  reach 
ing  a  climax. 

Nevertheless,  McCook  would  not  look  at  him. 


COLOROW. 


By  this  time  Colorow  had  concluded  that  there  was 
no  fight  in  the  Governor  and  allowed  the  hand  con 
taining  the  revolver  to  drop  to  his  side.  The  move 
was  a  fatal  one.  In  an  instant  McCook  seized  his 
wrist,  knocked  the  weapon  away  from  him,  and,  catch 
ing  the  astonished  Indian  by  the  neck,  kicked  him 


176  THE    UTE   WAR. 

down  stairs  and  out  into  the  street,  where  there  were 
a  number  of  Utes  standing  about.  With  great  tact 
McCook  pointed  to  the  prostrate  and  humiliated  form 
of  Colorow,  and  turning  to  the  Utes,  said:  "No  man 
to  lead  braves.  Colorow  old  woman.  Get  a  man 
for  a  chief."  Then  turning  on  his  heel,  he  walked  up 
stairs.  The  next  day  the  mortified  Utes  deposed 
Colorow. 

Colorow  still,  however,  boasts  a  considerable  fol 
lowing  among  the  worst  of  the  Utes,  if  such  a  distinc 
tion  is  allowable.  He  is  old  and  chubby,  and  pre 
sents  the  worst  appearance  of  all  the  tribe. 

Piah  is  the  chief  of  the  Middle  Park  Utes.  He  is 
a  clever  fellow  enough,  but  very  deceitful.  He  has 
been  to  Washington,  New  York  and  Boston,  as  have 
some  of  the  others.  Piah  says  he  got  shaved  in 
Washington,  which  accounts  for  the  few  hairs  on  his 
chin,  of  which  he  is  very  proud.  In  conversation 
with  him,  he  said,  "  Washington  heap  big,  heap  big 
houses  ;  New  York  heap  big,  big  houses,  big  boats  ; 
plenty  white  men ;"  and  so  of  other  Eastern  cities ; 
but  at  the  end  he  says,  "  White  man  heap  no  good, 
heap  lie.  Indian  no  lie."  Upon  being  asked  what 
the  great  white  father  said  to  him,  his  answer  was: 
"  White  father  at  Washington  said  Indian  must  make 
potato,  cabbage,  and  work.  I  tell  white  father  no 
make  potato,  cabbage,  no  work;  Indian  hunt,  fish. 
No  hunt,  no  fish,  Indian  fight  and  die.  Me  great  war 
rior.  Warriors  no  plow.  Me  go  to  Washington  and 
see  John  Grant.  (The  Indians  all  call  Grant  "John.") 
John  Grant  great  warrior.  He  no  work.  Me  see 
John  Grant's  squaw.  She  no  work,  either,  too.  Great 
warriors  no  work.  Tell  you  what  do.  You  say  to 
John  Grant  he  come  here  and  go  with  me.  We  go 
out  and  fight  'Rapahoes  and  Cheyennes,  and  kill 
plenty  braves,  and  get  plenty  squaws.  Then  squaws 


THE   UTE   WAR.  1 77 

work  and  me  and  John  Grant  have  bully  good  time. 
No  work ;  no  plow ;  no  nothing." 

Washington  is  another  chief  supposed  to  have  been 
engaged  in  the  recent  fighting — at  any  rate,  in  the 
depredations  committed  along  the  frontier.  He  is  get 
ting  to  be  an  old  Indian,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  ex 
treme  low  cunning  of  his  countenance  and  his  stove 
pipe  hat,  which  has  long  ago  seen  its  best  days. 

Describing  the  appearance  of  this  chief,  Mr.  Coxe, 
whom  we  have  above  quoted,  says : 

"I  think  that  Washington  is  about  as  ugly  a  bipe'd 
as  we  have  at  present  on  the  continent,  and  what 
homeliness  of  face  he  lacked,  he  had  attempted  to 
supply  by  dress.  I  am  not  a  good  hand  at  descrip 
tion  of  dress,  but  I  shall  endeavor  to  tell  you  how 
Washington  was  attired.  His  head  was  surmounted 
by  a  soft  hat,  turn-down  rim,  which  was  ornamented 
by  a  band  of  calico.  He  had  on  a  red  flannel  shirt, 
soiled  and  torn,  and  about  as  poor  a  pair  of  pantaloons 
as  the  law  allows.  But  the  leggings,  the  one  article 
of  the  dress  of  equestrians  which  the  Indians  make 
better  than  the  whites,  were  handsome.  An  old  and 
ragged  pair  of  boots  protected  his  feet.  As  he  came 
up  I  saw  he  was  cross-eyed,  and  that  the  'whites'  of 
his  eyes  had  become  'browns/  as  well  as  bloodshot." 

There  are,  of  course,  many  other  chiefs  among  the 
tribes,  but  those  which  we  have  described  are  the 
most  noted,  and  most  of  them  have  taken  prominent 
part  in  the  late  outbreak. 


•  12 


CONCLUSION. 


It  remains  to  be  stated  that  at  the  present  writing, 
November  25,  1879,  there  is  a  commission  in  the  field, 
appointed  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the  Hon. 
Carl  Schurz,  to  investigate  the  recent  troubles  with  a 
view  to  bringing  the  guilty  to  justice  and  arriving  at 
some  means  of  settling  the  Indian  difficulties  in  Col 
orado.  This  commission  consists  of  General  Edward 
Hatch,  of  the  army;  General  Charles  Adams,  special 
agent  of  the  postoffice  department,  and  Chief  Ouray. 
The  meetings  of  the  commission  are  held  in  a  log 
hut,  built  for  a  stable,  at  Los  Pinos,  or  Uncompahgre 
Agency.  Ouray  early  sent  a  message  to  the  hostile 
Indians,  ordering  them  to  meet  the  commission  at  his 
agency.  All  the  leaders  except  Jack  came  to  the 
agency.  Douglass,  Johnson,  and  Sewerwick  were 
examined,  and  all  appeared  before  the  commission 
with  sullen  countenances,  "armed  to  the  teeth,"  and 
all  declared  unequivocally  that  they  knew  nothing. 
At  one  time  the  commission  seemed  in  imminent 
danger  of  losing  their  lives.  Even  Ouray  veered 
about,  put  on  his  Indian  clothes,  and  appeared  thought 
ful  and  ferocious.  General  Hatch  had  previously  sent 
for  a  detachment  of  soldiers  as  an  escort,  who  appear 
ed,  most  likely,  in  time  to  be  of  good  service  in  fright 
ening  the  Indians  and  preventing  ill  treatment  of  the 
commission. 

Ouray  has  made  a  proposition  to  have  a  delegation 
of  the  hostiles  sent  to  Washington  to  treat  with  the 
Secretary,  but  the  Secretary  has  virtually  declined  to 
grant  them  this  privilege,  whereat  the  Indians  are 


THE   UTE   WAR.  1/9 

greatly  displeased.  Thus  the  matter  stands.  The 
hostiles  have  gone  back  to  their  mountain  retreats 
and  probably  expect  to  remain  there  during  the  win 
ter.  It  is  probably  not  well  to  make  predictions  in  a 
book  which  may  so  soon  as  is  the  prospect  in  this  case 
be  verified  or  prove  unfounded,  but  we  feel  perfectly 
safe^in  saying  that  if  the  Indians  are  to  be  punished 
for  their  past  offences  the  army  will  yet  be  compelled 
to  take  the  matter  in  hand,  either  this  winter  or  dur 
ing  the  coming  spring. 


We  have  refrained  in  our  narrative  from  burdening 
it  with  opinions  of  our  own  'concerning  the  events 
which  we  have  related,  believing  that  the  facts  speak  for 
themselves  and  that  the  more  boldly  they  are  allowed 
to  stand  forth  in  their  own  natural  ugliness,  the  more 
apt  they  will  be  to  impress  upon  the  reader  the  true 
condition  of  Indian  affairs  in  Colorado.  Our  position 
is  not  a  half-way  one.  We  join  in  the  chorus  that 
comes^up  from  the  entire  State,  from  the  entire  west, 
alike  from  the  plains  and  from  the  mountains,  and 
the  gist  of  which  is  that  the  Indians  must  go.  In  this 
State  we^conftne  ourselves  to  the  Utes.  They  have 
been  a  hindrance  and  a  drawback  to  Colorado's  pro 
gress,  occupying  a  third  of  the  area  of  the  State. 
Standing  in  the  way  of  the  march  of  civilization,  for 
bidding  schools,  preventing  settlement,  keeping  out 
railroads,  they  are  a  pest  and  a  nuisance.  More  than 
this,  they  are  murderers  and  thieves — criminals  of  the 
worst  character,  malicious  towards  the  whites  and 
bent  upon  doing  all  they  can  to  annoy  and  injure  the 
race.  So  far  as  their  rights  are  concerned,  they  have, 
if  they  ever  had  any,  forfeited  them  by  their  own  con 
duct.  They  have  robbed  the  white  people,  burned 
the  forests,  destroyed  the  game  and  murdered  a  hun 
dred  men.  They  are  savages  because  they  will  not 


ISO  THE   UTE   WAR. 

become  civilized.  They  lie  and  steal  and  murder 
because  they  prefer  doing  so  to  adopting  the  customs 
and  manners  of  the  white  people,  and  not  because 
they  do  not  know  that  it  is  wrong  and  against  the  law 
of  the  land  to  do  these  things.  The  people  of  the 
west  will  never  be  satisfied  until  the  murderers  of 
Thornburgh  and  his  soldiers  and  of  Agent  Meeker 
and  the  agency  employes,  atone  for  these  deeds  with 
their  own  blood.  The  death  of  one  or  two  or  a  dozen 
will  not  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  justice,  but  all  who 
took  part  in  the  bloody  work  must  be  punished. 
And  the  other  Utes  should  be  accommodated  at  some 
other  place.  It  will  be  better  for  them  and  better  for 
the  whites.  The  opinion  prevails  throughout  the 
State  that  the  land  now  occupied  by  the  Indians  is 
rich  in  mineral.  There  are  ten  thousand  prospectors 
along  the  border,  casting  wistful  eyes  to  the  land 
beyond  which  they  believe  to  abound  in  mineral  treas 
ure.  Many  have  ventured  over  and  have  found  what 
they  sought. 

All  who  have  crossed  the  line  have  determined  to 
return,  and  their  reports  have  decided  many  others 
to  follow  them.  It  may  safely  be  predicted  that  three 
thousand  prospectors  will  invade  the  Ute  reservation 
land  next  spring.  These  men  can  not  understand 
why  gold  and  silver  should  exist  right  under  their 
noses,  though  it  be  on  an  Indian  reservation,  lying 
there  like  capital  buried,  and  they  not  be  allowed  to 
dig  it  out  and  put  it  to  use.  We  agree  with  them. 
The  mineral  is  there,  and  the  miners  and  prospectors, 
upright  to  a  man,  who  are  courageous  and  hardy 
enough  to  undertake  to  get  it,  should  have  it. 
Frontier  life  in  the  mountains  is  hard  enough  and 
perilous  enough  at  best.  Bad  roads,  the  distance 
from  home  and  the  necessities  of  life,  and  hard  cli 
mate,  are  sufficient  of  themselves,  without  adding 


THE   UTE  WAR.  l8l 

danger  from  Indians.  These  frontiersmen,  whether  in 
Massachusetts  or  Virginia,  Ohio  or  Kentucky,  Wis 
consin  or  Missouri,  Colorado  or  the  Black  Hills,  in 
whatever  part  of  the  continent  they  may  go,  have 
opened  up  the  way  for  the  advance  of  the  white  man 
and  civilization.  To  them  the  present  prosperity  and 
extent  of  the  country  are  due.  To  them  the  existence 
of  North  America  is  wholly  due — not  to  any  presum 
ing  Secretary  of  the  Interior  or  Boston  Tract  Society. 
These  noble  men  should  be  protected  in  their  work. 
Though,  of  course,  self-interest  is  with  most  of  them 
the  impelling  motive,  they  nevertheless  do  mankind 
a  vast  service  in  their  advances  into  the  new  and  wild 
lands,  opening  up  new  sources  of  wealth  and  new 
places  for  homes.  But  the  prospectors  expect  to 
explore  the  western  border  of  Colorado  next  year, 
whether  it  be  pleasant  to  a  half-dozen  men  at  Wash 
ington,  who  know  really  nothing  about  the  matter 
which  they  control,  or  attempt  to  control,  or  not;  or 
whether  the  Indians  are  there  or  not.  If  the  Indians 
are  not  removed,  conflicts  are  inevitable,  and  many 
valuable  lives,  not  only  those  of  prospectors  but  those 
of  families  in  settlements  off  the  reservation,  are  sure 
to  be  sacrificed. 

What  Colorado  asks  is : 

That  the  Utes  who  took  part  in  or  inspired  the 
Thornburgh  fight  and  the  agency  massacre,  be  exe 
cuted. 

That  the  remaining  members  of  the  tribe  be  re 
moved  to  some  reservation  outside  the  bounds  of 
the  State. 

What  the  West  asks  is : 

That  the  Indians  of  all  tribes  and  nations  be  gath 
ered  at  one  place,  Indian  Territory  for  example. 

That  they  be  made  to  earn  their  own  living  as 
other  men  and  women  are,  or  allowed  to  starve. 


1 82  THE   UTE   WAR. 

That  the  control  of  them  be  left  to  the  army  as  a 
police  force  to  preserve  and  compel  order,  and  not  to 
contrive  devices  to  induce  the  Indians  to  be  good — to 
coerce  them  into  proper  habits. 

The  following  resolutions,  adopted  by  a  mass  meet 
ing  of  the  people  of  Greeley,  the  town  founded  and 
guided  to  prosperity  by  Mr.  Meeker,  we  consider  a 
fit  conclusion  of  this  volume  of  frontier  history  : 

Resolved,  That  while  paying  tribute  to  our  de 
ceased  friends  and  neighbors,  we  would  gladly  cher 
ish  a  hope  that  this  awful  sacrifice  may  somehow 
serve  to  lessen  the  volume  of  atrocity  incident  to  our 
Indian  policy. 

Resolved,  That  the  government  be  called  upon 
through  our  representatives  in  Congress  to^make  full 
compensation  for  all  private  property  destroyed  by 
this  outbreak,  and  to  suitably  pension  all  persons  who 
were  dependent  for  support  upon  our  friends  and 
neighbors  who  were  killed. 

Resolved,  That  we  heartily  commend  the  prompt 
and  diligent  efforts  of  Governor  Pitkin  to  protect  the 
citizens  of  the  State  from  Indian  ravages  ever  since  the 
hostile  attitude  of  the  Utes  became  apparent. 

Resolved,  That  we  mournfully  deprecate  the  great 
apparent  neglect  of  Mr.  Meeker's  touching  appeal  for 
relief  made  as  early  as  the  loth  of  September  last. 

Resolved,  That  we  indignantly  denounce  the  grace 
less  insinuations  and  gratuitous  assertion  of  some 
eastern  papers  that  this  defection  among  the  Utes  is 
the  result  of  bad  faith  on'  the  part  of  the  Agent  and 
people  of  Colorado,  as  wholly  unfounded  in  fact,  and 
made  in  a  fault-finding  spirit  among  people  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  situation,  and  of  the  Indian  character. 

Resolved,  That  the  idea  so  often  offered  by  Con 
gress  that  the  Indian  is  the  ward  of  the  government, 
merits  the  application  of  a  policy  more  analagous  to 


THE   UTE   WAR.  183 

the  humane  principles  of  the  common  law  of  "  Guar 
dian  and  ward  "  than  any  hitherto  adopted  by  the 
government. 

Resolved,  That,  conceding  the  embarrassment  inci 
dent  to  the  proper  solution  of  the  Indian  question,  we 
insist  that  the  constant  breeding  of  a  horde  of  savages 
in  the  central  part  of  the  continent,  maintaining  them 
in  idleness  as  wards  of  the  government,  without  re 
stricting  'influences,  providing  them  with  the  best 
weapons  of  destruction,  appears,  after  so  many  years 
of  experience,  like  a  special  invention  of  evil  genius 
to  make  savage  warfare  and  atrocities  inevitable  and 
frequent. 

Resolved,  That  so  long  as  the  most  romantic  por 
tions  of  our  domain  are  to  be  especially  dedicated  as 
nurseries  of  barbarism,  we  insist  that,  so  fast  as  the 
Indian  is  thus  bred  up,  equipped  and  fitted  for  his 
treacherous  warfare,  and  found  hostile  and  determined 
to  kill  and  murder;  he  be  certainly  slain,  and  no  more 
fed  and  petted  as  a  ward. 

Resolved,  ^That  all  efforts  to  civilize  the  Indians 
must  prove  futile  as  long  as  they  ar.e  permitted  to  re 
tain  their  tribal  relations,  indulge  in  barbarous  prac 
tices,  taught  to  regard  themselves  as  independent 
nationalities,  to  be  treated  with,  upon  an  equal  foot 
ing,  like  a  foreign  country,  and  as  such,  pampered 
with  the  idea  of  a  sovereign  right  to  make  war  against 
the  government  for  any  fancied  grievance. 

Resolved,  That  the  first  requirement  in  the  process 
of  civilizing  the  Indian,  is  to  teach  him  a  sense  of 
responsibility  to  the  government,  which  supports  and 
protects  him  ;  whereas,  under  the  policy  which  has  so 
long  obtained,  he  derives  no  such  lesson,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  is  habitually  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
the  government  owes  him  a  living,  and  has  no  right 
to  his  loyalty  or  obedience  in  return,  he  should  either 


184  THE   UTE   WAR. 

be  accorded  the  same  rights  as  a  citizen,  or  should  be 
regarded  as  irresponsible  and  dangerous,  and  rigidly 
kept  in  restraint. 

Resolved,  That  while  the  Indian  is  allowed  to  remain 
within  the  limits  of  a  State,  he  should  be  subject  to 
the  police  regulations  of  the  State  and  governed  and 
punished  by  its  law  and  authority.  Finally,  be  it 

Resolved,  As  the  sense  of  this  people,  that  the  In 
dians  within  the  limits  of  our  State  are  a  hindrance  to 
its  proper  development,  and  a  constant  menace  to  the 
safety  of  the  people ;  that  by  their  recent  unprovoked 
and  inexcusable  depredations  they  have  forfeited  all 
claims  to  remain  among  us ;  and  we  insist  as  our  ulti 
matum  in  this  matter  that  the  death  penalty  be  inflict 
ed  upon  the  fiendish  murderers  of  our  friends ;  and 
that  the  Utes  be  speedily  removed  beyond  the  bor 
ders  of  Colorado. 

Two  hundred  thousand  people  pray  for  this  result. 


1 86 


THE   UTE   WAR. 


ADVERTISEMENTS.  1 87 

THE 

ALVORD 

HOUSE 


CORNER  LARIMER  &  ISra  STREETS, 

DENVER,  COLO. 


REFURNISHED  AND  IMPROVED  THROUGHOUT. 


i88 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


OLFE  LOW 


ER 


W\v*('i 


W 


All  testify  that  they  know  nothing  of  the  Massacre  or  the  Thorn- 
burgh  Fight ;  if  there  was  any  fight,  it  was  Jack  that  did  it. 


COR,  15iH  AND  BLAKE  STS,,  DENVER,  COL 


them  Qm  mj 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


Tfre  Wentwortft  Mouse* 

j&~   za:.   I^ISTIES,    x=roprie-tor. 

CURTIS  STREET,  BET.  15ra&  IBTH,  DENVER,  COL 

Rates,  S2.OO  and   $3.OO  per  day.    Day  Board,   $6.00   per  week. 
Special  Contracts  made  to  parties  and  families.    Weekly 
rates  from  $8.OO  to  $2O.OQ,  according  to 
location  of  room. 

The  proprietor  offers  to  the  public  his  present  new  facilities  with  the  full 
assurance  that  he  has  the  most  elegant  and  complete  hotel  building  to  be  found 
in  this  or  any  other  city  of  the  west.  Fifteen  years' experience  in  hotel  life 
convinces  him  that  the  people  want  less  nonsense  and  more  of  real  comforts, 
and  the  new  Wentworth  will  be  found  especially  arranged  and  adapted  to  the 
real  demands  of  the  traveling  public.  Special  rates  will  be  given  families. 
Rooms  in  my  cottages  and  the  old  Wentworth  are  still  at  the  command  of  guests 
at  same  rates  as  formerly.  Thanking  my  rrtany  friends  and  the  public  generally 
for  past  favors,  I  shall  endeavor  with  present  facilities  and  reasonable  prices  to 
merit  a  long  continuance  of  their  patronage.  A,  H.  ESTES,  Proprietor. 


190 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


Jepsoit's 


It  never  fails  to  relieve  the  sufferer  from  that  most  annoying  dis 
ease,  Dyspepsia.  For  Nervous  or  General  Debility,  for  Indigestion 
and  Deranged  Secretions,  for  all  Affections  of  the  Liver,  and  for  Con 
stipation,  it  has  no  rival.  Unlike  the  poisonous  and  nauseating  rem 
edies  that  have  been  compounded  from  every  element  in  the  mineral 
world,  this  is  purely  vegetable,  and  possesses  a  delightful  flavor,  so 
that  the  most  delicate  and  fastidious  find  it  a  pleasure  to  avail  them 
selves  of  its  wonderful  healing  properties. 

* 

MANUFACTURED    BY 

JEPSON  BROTHERS  &  Co,, 

SOLE    PROPRIETORS, 


For  Sale  by  all^Druggists. 


ADVERTISEMENTS. 


E 


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THE  HEADING 
\VHOLESAL.E  A1VD  RETAIL. 


C  LOTH  I  E  R  S 


OF  COLORADO. 


Men's,  Boys'  and  Children's  Clothing 


EVER  SHOWN  IN  THIS  STATE. 


A    FULL    LINE    OF 

« 


Agents  for  Levi  Strauss  &  Co.'s  Patent 
Riveted  Clothing. 

Every  Article  Marked  in  Plain  Selling 
Figures. 

One  Price  to  All  and  No  Deviation. 

All  Goods  Guaranteed  or  Money  Re 
funded. 


COR.  15TH  AND  HOLLADAY  STS., 


OO.7 
DENVER,  COLO. 


192 


THE    UTE   WAR. 


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